In a world where several automakers have pulled Apple CarPlay and Android Auto from their vehicles, Lucid Motors is taking the opposite approach.
Driving the news: Beginning today (March 12), Lucid will push Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to Gravity owners in North America via an over-the-air update to Lucid UX 3.5.
"Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are two of the most sought-after features by our customers," said Emad Dlala, SVP of Engineering and Software at Lucid.
And they're not wrong.
Just months ago: We covered General Motors' decision to phase out both systems entirely across all models by 2028, part of a broader industry shift in which automakers are increasingly moving to limit third-party systems in favor of their own.
This was a decision that didn't sit well with consumers or dealers, and the reaction in our comments section reflected that.
One commenter, a Lexus salesperson, put it this way: "As a Lexus salesperson, we were one of the last to have Apple CarPlay in our cars. I lost so many car deals when we didn't have it in our cars. My clients told me that it was a deal breaker, even though they like our car better."
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He closed with: "GM will regret this decision."
Others in the comments landed in a similar place…
"Most people's lives are more connected to their phones than their vehicles," one wrote. "Their competitors will say 'thank you.'"
Another chimed in, adding: "This will prove to be another example of GM shooting itself in the foot. Like millions of others, I would never buy a new vehicle without CarPlay."
To their point: The move away from these systems is usually driven by a desire to own the in-car software experience, giving OEMs direct access to vehicle data and the connected-services revenue that comes with it.
But of all the vehicle tech out there, this is one of the most frequently requested features by car shoppers (55% of drivers call it a deal-breaker), and Lucid seems unwilling to ignore that reality.
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