Photo: GM
General Motors wants to follow Tesla and get billions in revenue from various subscription services over the next three years. But they started by phasing out their most popular services, sold using the Marketplace in-vehicle app, one millions of owners used.
Having a modern vehicle with lots of connectivity options is ultimately what every car owner wants. But all the features packed into the dashboard come with strings attached, and most of the time the vehicle’s owner has to cede control to the car’s manufacturer. It’s great when the service is useful and everything works, but it can be inconvenient at best when the carmakers decide to shut down the service. The vehicle then gets instantly dumber, and the owner’s experience gets downgraded to junk.
That’s exactly what will happen to millions of American vehicles after General Motors pulls the plug on the Marketplace in-vehicle app next month. The service began rolling out in 2017 and was used by some five million vehicle owners, according to the latest GM data. It is now in use on most 2017-2022 model year GM vehicles.
Marketplace allowed buying goods and services or make restaurant and hotel reservations via the car’s touchscreen. Ten vendors adhered to the service offered as part of the “Connected Access” plan: Shell, ExxonMobil, Dunkin’ Donuts, Domino’s Pizza, Applebee’s, IHOP, Office Depot, Yelp, Priceline.com, and Delivery.com. Most of them paid to be part of Marketplace, so this was a free service for GM vehicle owners.
"We routinely evaluate our services to ensure they provide the best experience for our members. In this spirit, we have decided to discontinue our Marketplace services,” said GM in an email sent to its customers and revealed by Detroit Free Press. “After March 2022, all accounts with Marketplace vendors will automatically be de-linked and proper cybersecurity measures will be followed to remove and delete all personal information.”
After the Marketplace app phasing out, the only subscription service available for GM’s customers will be OnStar, with four plans to choose from. The base plan, at $24,99, offers connected vehicle services, including streaming apps and vehicle diagnostics. It goes all the way app to $49,99 for the Premium connectivity package that includes everything GM has to offer when it comes to connectivity and safety-related services.
At GM’s latest earnings call, CEO Mary Barra expressed hopes to make revenues of $20 to $25 billion a year from subscription services. These include Map Plus, OnStar, and Super Cruise. GM is not the only big company tapping into subscription services. Stellantis recently announced a $33 billion investment plan to develop the next-generation tech platforms.
That’s exactly what will happen to millions of American vehicles after General Motors pulls the plug on the Marketplace in-vehicle app next month. The service began rolling out in 2017 and was used by some five million vehicle owners, according to the latest GM data. It is now in use on most 2017-2022 model year GM vehicles.
Marketplace allowed buying goods and services or make restaurant and hotel reservations via the car’s touchscreen. Ten vendors adhered to the service offered as part of the “Connected Access” plan: Shell, ExxonMobil, Dunkin’ Donuts, Domino’s Pizza, Applebee’s, IHOP, Office Depot, Yelp, Priceline.com, and Delivery.com. Most of them paid to be part of Marketplace, so this was a free service for GM vehicle owners.
"We routinely evaluate our services to ensure they provide the best experience for our members. In this spirit, we have decided to discontinue our Marketplace services,” said GM in an email sent to its customers and revealed by Detroit Free Press. “After March 2022, all accounts with Marketplace vendors will automatically be de-linked and proper cybersecurity measures will be followed to remove and delete all personal information.”
After the Marketplace app phasing out, the only subscription service available for GM’s customers will be OnStar, with four plans to choose from. The base plan, at $24,99, offers connected vehicle services, including streaming apps and vehicle diagnostics. It goes all the way app to $49,99 for the Premium connectivity package that includes everything GM has to offer when it comes to connectivity and safety-related services.
At GM’s latest earnings call, CEO Mary Barra expressed hopes to make revenues of $20 to $25 billion a year from subscription services. These include Map Plus, OnStar, and Super Cruise. GM is not the only big company tapping into subscription services. Stellantis recently announced a $33 billion investment plan to develop the next-generation tech platforms.
Google News