GM introduced its Ultifi software platform as a customer experience program that combines the purchase, onboarding and ownership experience in November 2020. Last September, GM officially announced plans for an evolved version of Ultifi, now characterized as an in-vehicle customer experience platform, to make its vehicles smarter and more personalized.

Ultifi will be the underlying software that will enable applications from GM and third-party developers, said Gary Cygan, director of software-defined vehicle program and GM solutions management. Automotive News.

It can support rapid updates and additions of safety, entertainment, and convenience features that are often retained until a vehicle’s mid-cycle refresh.

The Cadillac Lyriq, an electric crossover due early this year, will be among the first vehicles with Ultifi, but the software will be added to others via over-the-air updates.

Examples of possible features supported by Ultifi include a weather mode that automatically closes the windows of a parked vehicle before rain, automatic child locks when the vehicle detects a child in the back seat, and an Amber Alert setting that Automatically reports a license plate number sighting for police to search.

“Doing this in a non-Ultifi environment would take a long time. With the platform, it’s very, very fast,” Cygan said. “We really strive to make the platform developer-friendly [for] anyone who wants to come and build on it because it’s so easy to do.”