CES: GM Offers SDK for New Infotainment Apps

Present at the 2013 CES, GM announced it plans to offer a software development kit (SDK) which will allow drivers to add features and apps to their vehicles.

GM will offer the SDK through an online portal, allowing developers of in-vehicle application creating apps easier and providing drivers the option to download community-made in-vehicle apps in order to select vehicles in GM’s 2014 lineup.

After initial purchase, vehicle owners will have the possibility to add features and apps, which will allow for improvement to the car’s infotainment over its lifespan. By using the SDK developers will work together with the company in a secure and controlled environment , aiming at delivering the most the most intuitive, customizable, useful and vehicle-centered automotive apps.

The 2014 model year models will features these apps and the owners will have the possibility to choose the desired applications from a menu of available apps. Owners can also create their new apps, which once approved by GM, would be included in the app catalog.

“There will be a category of apps that will be unique to our cars and very different from what people use today on their smartphones or tablets,” said GM Chief Infotainment Officer Phil Abram. “It’s not just taking phone apps and making them function in a car, which most car companies do in some form now.”