Honda Promises CarPlay, Android Auto on 2024 Prologue
Honda says their first volume electric vehicle, the Prologue, will play nicely with wireless Google built-in plus wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. Why are we mentioning a seemingly trivial item? Because alert readers know Prologue is baked using General Motors ingredients – and GM recently indicated it plans to swear off smartphone integration in favor of its own interface.
Sure, vehicles that share a platform often have many differences (unless they’re badge-engineered jobs from the Bad Old Days) ranging from interior and exterior styling to what shows up on infotainment screens. In this age of all digital everything where many people have large swaths of their lives on their phones, the latter is no small detail – especially when one of the planet’s largest automakers suggests it is ditching a tool used by many.
Since the Honda Prologue is based on GM’s Ultium architecture, this news should derail any future arguments from The General that their intent to abandon Apple CarPlay/Android Auto is based on some sort of necessity borne from the Ultium technologies. Instead, it should be seen for what it is – a play to recapture the in-car experience, permitting GM more control over the environment and likely introducing revenue opportunities.
As for the Prologue, spox for Honda are touting tools like Google Maps as a way to optimize route planning for recharging or finding charging stations along the way to minimize travel time.
"Honda’s long standing in-vehicle tech collaborations with Google and Apple allow us to offer our customers their choice of intuitive and accessible digital services that will enhance the ownership experience of the all-new 2024 Honda Prologue," said Raj Manakkal who is a veep in Honda’s Digital Services Development division.
This stands in stark contrast to statements made earlier this year by GM about dropping Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. "As we scale our EVs and launch our Ultifi software platform, we can do more than ever before with in-vehicle technologies and over-the-air updates,” said Edward Kummer, GM's chief digital officer. “All of this is allowing us to constantly improve the customer experience we can offer across our brands."
Honda will begin pre-sales for the Prologue this fall, ahead of a winter 2024 on-sale.
[Image: Honda]
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Matthew buys, sells, fixes, & races cars. As a human index of auto & auction knowledge, he is fond of making money and offering loud opinions.
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GM is Rubbish. Honda is pretty good. wont work
I mean really stinky rubbish.
Strange bedfellows.... I've always seen Honda as an Engineering company first, with mediocre Marketing. GM however, as a Marketing juggernaut, but mediocre Engineering company. In my mind, this indicates that Honda isn't sold on EVs having a long and fruitful future so they're outsourcing that product to GM. If you recall, Honda did the same thing with SUVs 20 years ago, rebadging Isuzu's instead of building their own. Honda was wrong then, and may be wrong now as well. Hopefully the GM tie up creates some better products than the Isuzu deal did.