General Motors has launched a new infotainment system for its highest volume and highest margin products ― pickup trucks.
GM has “completely reimagined” the cabin experience for the 2027 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and 2027 GMC Sierra 1500, the Detroit automaker said on Sept. 15, which has been redesigned to be “simple, fast and predictable,” requiring fewer touchpoints for truck drivers to access basic controls like climate, navigation, towing and drive settings.
The next-generation software system, in 60 inches of display throughout the cabin, uses a native Android Auto open-source platform for its truck’s software operating system overlayed with the Google Built-In infotainment system. The largest is the center touchscreen, measuring 16.3 inches across. There also is a head-up display and a digital driver instrument cluster at 12.2 inches. GM notes some trim options add extra displays like the 8.5-inch digital rear camera mirror (which can be switched off) or the front passenger side entertainment screen measuring 11.5 inches.
Full-size pickups make up nearly one out of every three vehicles GM sells. GM said it plans to start with its highest-volume vehicles before expanding the new software across its broader portfolio.
Working with, not against, your phone
Android Auto and Apple CarPlay remain accessible and have been intentionally integrated with the system. That’s because Colin McCormick, staff product manager of Google built-in, projection, and profiles at General Motors, said the objective underpinning the new user experience was to “compliment” the experience customers have with their smartphones without competing with it.
“It shouldn’t be a decision of, ‘Am I going to use (CarPlay or Android Auto) or the native system?’ They coexist together,” McCormick said of the new split screen view. “They’re not fighting for your attention. This allows us to allow customers to use CarPlay in the way that they want without using access to some of the native features [in the vehicle’s system].
The redesigned multiview home screen defaults to split-view layout, GM said, with a “large, fully interactive map.” Important information, such as trailering metrics, fuel efficiency data, and even what song or broadcast is playing, rest beside the map screen.
And, thanks to the software redesign, there’s more space to work with when it comes to the accessible applications.
“The screen real estate you get for projection … it’s a lot of real estate,” McCormick said. “More than we provided in the model year 2026 of these vehicles.”
See what the truck sees
Another change involved providing more details of GM’s hands-free driving assistance system, Super Cruise. The display populates with an image of the truck as well as the surrounding vehicles when the advanced driver assist systems.
The display also telegraphs what moves the car is about to make, such as showing the clear path on the screen before the truck changes lanes on the highway. The animations seen by the driver mirror the truck’s real-time activity.
According to McCormick, it’s his favorite view in the new system.
“If you’ve never used Super Cruise, the first time you turn it on can be a little nerve-wracking,” McCormick said. “Releasing your hands from the wheel and letting the car take control, that’s a leap of faith on the first try. And what we found is that customers want to understand what the car sees, and this view helps address that.”
GM remains the only automaker that offers trailering while its driver assistance technology is engaged, according to the company.
Some of the highlights of the new system include:
- “Clean View” ― An option where the display behind the steering wheel, called the driver information center, is less busy, and drivers can see context of notifications without distracting from critical features
- Notification display ― Drivers can access updates and settings by scrolling down from the top of the screen just like with a smartphone. Messages and third-party notifications “live in that tray,” according to McCormick, and can be dealt with and dismissed quickly from that screen.
- Editing displays ― While the vehicle is in park, customers can adapt their home screen by dragging application icons across their center screen as they do on smartphones.
- Google Maps adapt navigation to vehicle specifications ― Customers can input the details on the dimensions of what they’re towing, which Google will store in order to suggest trailer-friendly routes depending on that saved size.
- Differentiation of “settings” compared to “controls”― McCormick said settings buried in the previous user experience are now easier to see and access based on customer feedback. For example, for the vehicle’s HVAC system, a fly-out menu can change the flow of air or heat through the virtual screen or also use the dedicated row of physical buttons below.
- Phone calls no longer take over the entire screen ― When the driver gets a call, the icon pops up in a smaller banner than before. Once the call is accepted, the banner disappears so the call continues in the background without infringing on navigation or other displays.
Why so much attention for the center screen?
Overcomplicated infotainment systems regularly drag down consumer ratings.
J.D. Power noted in its latest technology study that overcomplicated screens that distract from the road or waste time toggling between screens to find a function that was once contained in a physical button.
In the 2026 U.S. Tech Experience Index Study, released Aug. 20, more than one-third of owners across brands said they’ve tried to avoid using their screen entirely compared with just 6% who said they use it every time they drive.
The new pickup truck software system also includes Google Gemini, with which customers can ask questions audibly and get responses from Google while driving. GM said last year at an event in New York that the partnership is a stopgap until the automaker is able to integrate its own proprietary artificial intelligence system directly into its vehicles connected by OnStar.
(This story has been updated to include more information about displays.)
Jackie Charniga covers General Motors for the Free Press. Reach her at jcharniga@freepress.com.