The car industry A/B tested selling a car with and without CarPlay

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Automakers’ efforts to drop Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in favor of their own infotainment platforms are meeting strong resistance from many buyers, who say they simply will not purchase a car without phone projection. A case comparing GM’s Chevy Blazer EV (without CarPlay) and Honda’s Prologue (a rebadged version with CarPlay) prompts debate over how much sales differences can really be attributed to that feature versus brand reputation, pricing, and discounts. Commenters also raise broader concerns about touchscreens, driver distraction, data collection, and car companies’ desire to control in-car software and subscription revenue.

Validity of the “A/B Test”

  • Many commenters argue this is not a real A/B test.
  • Key confounders:
    • Brand reputation (Honda vs Chevy) is huge and independent of infotainment.
    • Pricing: reports of steep discounts (up to ~$20k) on one model make comparisons meaningless without controlling for price.
    • Different warranties, service experiences, marketing, and dealership networks.
  • Several people note this is classic correlation vs. causation; CarPlay may be a factor, but not proven to be the factor.

Impact of CarPlay / Android Auto

  • A sizable contingent says they would not buy a car without CarPlay/Android Auto; some canceled or ignored specific models solely for that reason.
  • Others say they could retrofit it, but counterpoints note:
    • Many modern cars are hard to retrofit cleanly.
    • Most buyers don’t want to “hack” their most expensive asset.
  • A cited survey (79% say they won’t buy without CarPlay) is used to argue the sales gap is plausible, though others doubt stated preferences equal real behavior.

Brand, Quality, and History

  • Many say they’d pick Honda over Chevy regardless of CarPlay, citing long-standing perceptions of Japanese reliability vs. American brands’ past quality problems.
  • Discussion of “brand mining” / “goodwill liquidation”: trading on an old quality reputation while selling worse products.
  • Debate over Hyundai/Kia: some say they’ve dramatically improved; others cite serious quality and engineering issues.

Infotainment, UX, and “Too Much Tech”

  • Several people dislike modern car tech: large touchscreens, buggy infotainment, distraction, and tracking concerns.
  • Some prefer physical controls for safety; EU safety rules and newer Subaru/Outback changes are mentioned.
  • Opinion splits on Tesla and other OEM systems: some say good enough to skip CarPlay; others say even “good” OEM systems lag phone-based UX.

Data, Control, and Platform Power

  • Conflicting claims about why OEMs sour on CarPlay:
    • One view: Apple’s newer CarPlay wants more vehicle data (speed, fuel, climate, etc.).
    • Another: OEMs themselves are the data-hungry ones and want subscription and ad revenue.
    • Debate over whether Apple charges royalties via MFi; details are NDA, so exact economics are unclear.

Anecdotes and Preferences

  • Some drivers genuinely don’t care about phone integration and prioritize driving dynamics and reliability.
  • Others see lack of CarPlay/Android Auto as an absolute deal-breaker, even when they know two cars are otherwise identical.