DETROIT (Reuters) – General Motors Co will launch a new system to stream online radio from Pandora in upcoming Chevrolets starting with the Volt and Equinox.
The new partnership comes as the top U.S. automaker looks to make up for lost ground against Ford Motor Co in the increasingly competitive market for digital entertainment systems in vehicles.
GM said the 2012 Chevrolet Volt and the Equinox would come equipped with a new system dubbed “Chevy MyLink” anchored by a seven-inch, color touch-screen display in the dashboard.
The system will allow Chevy drivers to stream music from Pandora Media Inc by syncing the vehicle to a smartphone and using an existing Pandora account.
Chief Executive Dan Akerson, who has a background in telecommunications, has said one of his priorities was to sharpen the automaker’s focus on vehicle electronics. Thursday’s announcement marked the first new such service GM has launched since Akerson’s arrival as CEO in September.
GM was the first automaker to launch an on-board navigation and safety system when it debuted OnStar in 1996, a satellite system that it developed on its own.
The new partnership comes as the top U.S. automaker looks to make up for lost ground against Ford Motor Co in the increasingly competitive market for digital entertainment systems in vehicles.
GM said the 2012 Chevrolet Volt and the Equinox would come equipped with a new system dubbed “Chevy MyLink” anchored by a seven-inch, color touch-screen display in the dashboard.
The system will allow Chevy drivers to stream music from Pandora Media Inc by syncing the vehicle to a smartphone and using an existing Pandora account.
Chief Executive Dan Akerson, who has a background in telecommunications, has said one of his priorities was to sharpen the automaker’s focus on vehicle electronics. Thursday’s announcement marked the first new such service GM has launched since Akerson’s arrival as CEO in September.
GM was the first automaker to launch an on-board navigation and safety system when it debuted OnStar in 1996, a satellite system that it developed on its own.