King of the garage: Cadillac’s app can help find open parking spots

Cadillac owners can now find parking and pay for a spot even before they arrive.

General Motors’ luxury brand said Friday that ParkWhiz will be availalbe in the Cadillac Marketplace in-car app system. Marketplace provides owners a digital mall of apps to order food, reserve tables, and now pay for parking ahead of time.

Cadillac’s app follows other luxury brands such as BMW that help drivers find parking spots before they arrive. In-car apps typically work with garages and other lots, although some cloud-based systems use data from other drivers to predict when spots will be available.

Owners will need to download the ParkWhiz app, create an account and add all the necessary details (including a payment method on file), and the app will be ready to go. Users can see details about a particular parking garage and even access their and exit pass with a few taps through the infotainment system. ParkWhiz operates in 250 cities across the U.S., which is hardly full coverage, but it’s certainly a start.

ParkWhiz or any other apps from the Cadillac Marketplace (called the GM Marketplace on other GM-branded vehicles) don’t require a smartphone. The Marketplace works separately from a user’s cell phone or tablet and does not require in-car wi-fi either. Owners of 2017 and newer Cadillac cars can start to book parking now.

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