Back in December of 2023, General Motors announced its plans to move away from the popular Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring services in favor of its in-house infotainment for its forthcoming electric vehicles. That decision immediately drew criticism from buyers, which is no surprise given the overwhelming adulation the services receive. According to a report from Australia's CarExpert, however, our friends Down Under won’t be subjugated to the same infotainment woes, as GM will be offering the mirroring apps in its Cadillac EV models there.
General Motors has positioned Cadillac as an all-electric brand in Australia these days; only the Lyriq is currently in showrooms, but Cadillac has confirmed plans to bring the Visitq and Optiq to both Australia and New Zealand for 2026. With the lineup set to expand, the automaker has started rolling out its Cadillac Connected Services features in Australia, which include items like over-the-air updates, the new Google Built-In infotainment setup, smart routing, and mobile app features. Unfortunately for them, Super Cruise is not a part of that package for the Aussies; on the bright side, the automaker has confirmed it won’t bring its infotainment lock-in strategy to Australia.
“All Cadillac Lyriq, Lyriq-V, Vistiq and Optiq vehicles coming to Australia and New Zealand will offer Cadillac Connected Services as well as wireless smartphone projection, which is currently available in Lyriq models,” said a GM spokesperson.
While we’re glad for Cadillac’s customers in Oceania, we can’t help but be a little bitter. Google Built-In is a fine basis for an infotainment setup, but it’s still nice to have the smartphone mirroring option. Most buyers agree, with a 2024 consumer survey by McKinsey & Co suggesting nearly half of buyers wouldn’t purchase a car that wasn’t equipped with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. Additionally, some 80% of respondents who used mirroring systems preferred it to the native infotainment.
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