No GPS NAVIGATION for 2024
 

All Corvettes for 2024, based on the Order Guide, will use Google Maps cellular data navigation which will require a paid subscription. GPS free navigation is no longer available.

Obviously without GPS the navigation may not work at all.

Did you see a statement that there is not Satellite based GPS receiver/processor - or just that Navigation will be provided by Google Maps?

Its true that the Navigation software will be provided by Google Maps, and require a subscription for full functionality, but the car will continue to have a satellite based GPS receiver and processor, and the Google Maps software will be able to use the coordinates it provides for Navigation (based on what the owners manual says.)

According to the 2024 Owners Manual, the Navigation software in the car will be provided by Google Maps. Google maps relies on a subscription for "full functionality including including
availability of offline maps. With an applicable connected services plan, Google Maps can be used offline when driving through connectivity dead zones by auto-downloading offline maps prior to going offline." In order to do this, in a connectivity dead zone, it would need to rely on satellite based GPS.

From the 2023 Owners Manual:
Using the Navigation System
The Navigation software is provided by
Google Maps. The information provided in
this section is a general overview and is
subject to change. For the latest functional
information, see g.co/mapsincar.
Accept the Terms and Conditions to use.
Internet Connectivity
Google Maps relies on a subscription data
plan for full functionality, including
availability of offline maps. With an
applicable connected services plan, Google
Maps can be used offline when driving
through connectivity dead zones by
auto-downloading offline maps prior to
going offline.

The car will still have built-in GPS with location ability. I agree it is questionable whether or not the built-in Google Maps app that is replacing the current navigation system will still work without a paid subscription. It may work like Google Maps currently works on cell phones where you can only navigate if the maps are already downloaded or perhaps the built-it Google Maps app will work with your phone's hotspot like Alexa, The Weather Channel, etc. currendly does.

maybe I am saying the same thing here; i intend to get the front lift and if it is GPS ed to 1000 locations, I cannot imagine needing a subscription to use the lift…

Google Maps in a dead zone means GPS is not available. I discussed this extensively with the Corvette information people and they could not find any reference to GPS in the description for 2024.

Also I found that adding PDR to a 1lt which previously also included GPS navigation, now is $400 less with no mention of navigation because Google maps system is standard

The big question is do the 2024's still have Android Auto? If so then who needs the onboard navigation.

Yes both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are standard

That would be a huge mistake if they put in Google Maps but it would only work if you had a cell connection. There are many areas out west where there is no cell reception. Even the most basic cell phone these days has a GPS receiver and Google Maps will work without cell reception as long as the maps have been downloaded beforehand.

GM making a huge mistake going just with Android Automotive only in their '24 and beyond BEVs. So damn short sighted and will no doubt cost GM sales. Just keep your fingers crossed the greedy bastards don't try the same thing for their ICE vehicles beginning in '25.

Connectivity dead zone refers to the cars built in 4G network connection, which is how the car will download the maps. Once downloaded, the navigation system can use them in a connectivity deadzone, because it will still see the satellites, it still has a GPS processor to provide coordinated, and it will be able to use the stored maps to provide navigation routing.

The GPS receiver, the GPS processor, and the Navigation Software are three different entities. You need a receiver to receive the satellite signals. You need a processor to determine the coodinates on the earth from those signals. Then you need Navigation Software and maps to find what road you are on with those coordinates, and to provide routing information using the maps.

The attached is also in the 2024 Owners Manual.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...66c6a110ea.gif

This is why GM wants to ditch Carplay, they know that most of us just use our phones for Nav and they want to go back to the era of being able to charge large option charges or even better subscription fees.

Lets Just Put Out There to Avoid Rumors
 

Here are the relevant pages from the 2024 that describe how the Navigation will work. It does use satellite GPS and that is specifically discussed.


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https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...44bc6a9224.gif
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...599af80d46.gif
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...41d8863a9b.gif
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...a76ab53c4a.gif

2024 will support wireless android and apple carplay
 

Yes support of Wireless (and wired) Android or Apple Car Play is discussed extensively in the manual.


https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...7705638052.gif

The issue with Android Auto is that you need to be in an area where you can get both GPS AND Internet. I remember getting lost on Skyline Blvd (northern CA) a long time ago (abt 10 years) where it took me an hour to get to an area where I had both at the same time because the road is narrow and the trees cover the road pretty well. I finally found a clearing big enough that I got Google Maps working long enough to tell me how far off my initial route I was.
Ever since that time I like to have an autonomous navigation system that only requires GPS and does not depend on the Internet or cell signal to work, as a backup. I normally use Android Auto because it's up to date but I like the idea of having a potentially more reliable backup, even though I never had to rely on that since that experience. I understand I can download offline maps beforehand, but I rarely think about it until I need it...

I have not done it, but many folks on the forum report that with both Google Maps and Waze, they can download maps to their phone in advance, and then they will continue to navigate in cell deadzones. There are several places on the internet that discuss how to do that.

It looks like without a subscription, you just won't have maps at all, which means no navigation, which is a bummer.
On the other hand, if you pay the Google Map subscription, will the car use its own radio to download the maps, or will it still rely on the phone? i.e. can you have navigation without a phone?

The car will have GPS anyways because it's used by OnStar and probably other optional services, just like the 1LT which does not have navigation at all outside of Apple Carplay or Android Auto.
If you are using Carplay or Android Auto, I am not sure why I would want to pay another subscription to have Google Maps natively on the car.
This is clear as mud...

Yes, I have not done it either, but it is my understanding that you can do that. A friend of mine who did the Appalachian Trail did just that. He also has a Garmin Fenix 5X (with maps) as a backup. I have the same watch and while I don't want to use maps on it while driving (!) it is very useful as a backup.

The wording says a subscription is required for full Google Maps functionality which implies you will have some functionality without a subscription. It doesn't say where the data is stored but they don't mention needing a SD card or flash drive so it is probably stored internally. It doesn't say say how much data you can store but you will probably be able to download enough data for your local area and use it once your subscription is done although this may not be allowed. Hopefully they will allow you to use your phone's hotspot to download data but the wording says it will require connected services so that may not be possible. It will be interesting to find out how this plays out.

GPS is only available for vehicle positioning ie it can show where you are but can’t map a route. That’s why you must have a paid subscription and you must download the maps for the dead zone before you enter it.

With the old GPS navigation system you were never in a dead zone and maps were always available for routings. Also no subscription required.

This is not correct. A "dead zone" to google maps means that there is no data connection (e.g., cellular data) available, so Google can't download maps along your route in real time. Google maps, on any platform, relies on GPS satellite data for navigation.

There's no way the navigation system is going to work without GPS capability. What the required subscription is for is almost certainly the AT&T 4G data plan so the car can download maps in real time (rather than relying on the maps on the SD card in prior model years).

Since the car still has Android Auto and Apple CarPlay capability, I don't see any real advantage to paying GM for their data plan so you can use the same software without a phone. If you have a smartphone with a data plan, just use that. Or use the "HERE we Go" app, which lets you download maps for the entire US (and many other countries) to your phone and use it without a data plan.

I've found the built in Nav on the C8 to be pretty bad the few times I've tried to use it, and very limited in terms of how you can specify a destination and intermediate points, so I haven't used it since the first few months I had the car.