Apple announced last week at the 2012 WWDC that many automakers have signed on to integrate Apple's Siri in their vehicles, but few have said which cars or when. However, two compacts from General Motors may be among the first to include the new "Eyes Free" feature in its vehicles, reports blog GM Authority.
The Chevrolet Spark and Chevrolet Sonic will be the first GM vehicles to get this latest infotainment feature. The two vehicles are already available with MyLink, an infotainment system that integrates with the driver's smartphone. MyLink leverages the handset's Internet connection to access a handful of navigation and entertainment mobile applications, such as Pandora, Stitcher, and GoGoLink, and uses Bluetooth connectivity to make and receive hands-free phone calls.
Like most other infotainment systems on the market, MyLink is voice-activated, but responds to only 50 or 60 commands (Ford Sync is the exception with 10,000 voice commands). However, with the upcoming Eyes Free integration, using MyLink could get a lot more intuitive for iPhone 4S users. Even better would be if GM let consumers skip purchasing MyLink all together and just rely entirely on their smartphone for telematics services, but don't count on that being an option any time soon.
No dates for an official announcement were given, but consumers can expect to hear more about it within the next 12 months, says GM Authority's source.
