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"  In-car infotainment systems are at weird place right now. While automakers continue to improve performance, increase fuel economy, and revamp styling, a solid, intuitive, and robust infotainment system remains elusive. Some automakers just want to get out of the way and create a seamless link to the smartphone already in your pocket, while others\u2014like Cadillac&amp;#039;s Cue system or Ford&amp;#039;s maligned MyFordTouch\u2014want to create an all-inclusive system the removes the mobile phone from the equation. With a series of announcements today, GM seems to be taking a shotgun-approach to its infotainment overhaul\u2014implementing a variety of approaches to, hopefully, fit just about everyone. Up first: Siri. GM says the 2013 Chevrolet Spark and Sonic LTZ and RS will be integrated with Apple&amp;#039;s voice-activated personal assistant. Owners with iOS 6-equipped phones can move the control of some features found in Chevy&amp;#039;s MyLink infotainment system over to Siri via a Bluetooth connection. Press a button on the steering wheel and Apple&amp;#039;s digital personal assistant handles basic tasks such as hands-free calling/texting, playing music in the phone&amp;#039;s library, as well as some Siri-specific features such as answering basic questions\u2014albeit with varying accuracy, as Siri is want to do. Based on Chevy&amp;#039;s ad campaigns alone, it makes sense that Chevy is trying this setup in these millienal-targeted compacts.  Appearing later next spring in the 2014 Chevy Impala is a next-gen MyLink system. Featuring &amp;quot;natural voice recognition&amp;quot;\u2014much like Siri\u2014and a redesigned UI that swaps out the old menu-based interface for a familiar icon-grid layout, the new system closely resembles a tablet or smartphone embedded in center of the dashboard. Similarities aren&amp;#039;t a coincidence. According to GM, the tablet-ification of MyLink sprang from a global survey of the system. &amp;quot;&amp;quot;We received a lot of good customer feedback and we used it to make enhancements to the system,&amp;quot; explains Nina Mital, MyLink program manager, in today&amp;#039;s release. In addition to the new tech, GM is also adding the human element to its MyLink makeover. Yesterday, Reuters reported that the automaker has hired 25 specialists, mostly 20-somethings, to help educate new owners at more than 4400 U.S. GM dealerships. GM hopes that this system can act like Apple&amp;#039;s Genius bar and stem the tide of frustrated users and negative reviews. &amp;quot;You see a lot of people get into the vehicle, and they can&amp;#039;t figure out the damned system,&amp;quot; Mark Harland, the manager of GM&amp;#039;s connected customer team, told Reuters. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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