Apple's CarPlay coming to Volkswagen models later this year
German auto giant Volkswagen on Monday unveiled plans to incorporate Apple's CarPlay in next-generation infotainment systems, saying the iOS-derived feature will come included with select models this year.
For VW, the CarPlay initiative will see introduction alongside MirrorLink, the company's in-house solution for integrating smartphone apps and layouts offered by various handset makers, and Android Auto. All three systems are to run on VW's second generation modular infotainment platform (MIB II) when it launches in late 2015.
Volkswagen has yet to disclose system pricing or an exact release date for MIB II and CarPlay, but the auto maker plans to make the technology available in both Europe and the U.S.
When Apple introduced CarPlay last March as a rebranding of the "iOS in the Car" project, Volkswagen was noticeably absent from an initial list of supporting car manufacturers that included Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, BMW, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai Motor Company, Jaguar, Land Rover, Kia, Mitsubishi, Nissan, PSA Peugeot Citron, Subaru, Suzuki and Toyota.
Apple's much-anticipated in-car iOS solution grants users access to iPhone functions like music, navigation, messages, phone and more via specialized physical and onscreen car controls. Looking to minimize distractions, CarPlay features a steering wheel-mounted Siri button for voice control, large iOS-styled icons and app integration.
As CarPlay-enabled vehicles are just now rolling off assembly lines, aftermarket solutions like Pioneer's AppRadio 4 and Alpine's iLX-007 head units have gained in popularity, though the system has yet to gain significant traction with car buyers and owners.
For VW, the CarPlay initiative will see introduction alongside MirrorLink, the company's in-house solution for integrating smartphone apps and layouts offered by various handset makers, and Android Auto. All three systems are to run on VW's second generation modular infotainment platform (MIB II) when it launches in late 2015.
Volkswagen has yet to disclose system pricing or an exact release date for MIB II and CarPlay, but the auto maker plans to make the technology available in both Europe and the U.S.
When Apple introduced CarPlay last March as a rebranding of the "iOS in the Car" project, Volkswagen was noticeably absent from an initial list of supporting car manufacturers that included Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, BMW, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai Motor Company, Jaguar, Land Rover, Kia, Mitsubishi, Nissan, PSA Peugeot Citron, Subaru, Suzuki and Toyota.
Apple's much-anticipated in-car iOS solution grants users access to iPhone functions like music, navigation, messages, phone and more via specialized physical and onscreen car controls. Looking to minimize distractions, CarPlay features a steering wheel-mounted Siri button for voice control, large iOS-styled icons and app integration.
As CarPlay-enabled vehicles are just now rolling off assembly lines, aftermarket solutions like Pioneer's AppRadio 4 and Alpine's iLX-007 head units have gained in popularity, though the system has yet to gain significant traction with car buyers and owners.
Comments
I rented a brand new BMW 320D over Christmas in the UK and for 10 days I used its built-in sat nav, blue tooth connectivity features for phone calls and also USB connection for iPhone to play music. It worked flawlessly on all counts and the jog dial was very intuitive. Album art from both iTunes and Spotify both came up on the display including title tracks whilst volume and play back was controlled via steering wheel buttons. How does CarPlay add additional functionality to current systems other than the Apple experience?
I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you. There are several good looking aftermarket head units that look great, unfortunately it is the adapter kits that make them fit into the vehicle openings that look cheap to me. I have used several in different vehicles and have never been happy with the look and feel of them. It also seems that the auto manufacturers keep making it more and more difficult to fit aftermarket units. Too bad there isn't a aftermarket software solution available for the factory units.
There are so many errors in the way the ipod sorts your music library from itunes.
Lack of multiartist and multigenre tagging is so a nuisance.
They should fix all that crap and then the in car experience will fix itself.
Apple maps is still only moderately functional and still has massive numbers of errors.
Siri works sometimes but misses anything you say in any other language except english (such as restaurant names in other languages).
You can go on and on and on...
Compared to the in car experience in my Jeep, the audi system is vastly inferior junk interface (both top of the line 2015 cars)
My brother bought a 2010 audi R8 and the "bang and olofson" sound system in it is catastrophically poor quality... What the hell.
Car manufacters put out such a terrible user experience its laughable, but apple can still do a lot better than they are doing.
As CarPlay-enabled vehicles are just now rolling off assembly lines,
What vehicles would those be?
My wife just tells Siri what to do on her 2014 Lexus, she has knobs to twiddle but rarely does. Meanwhile my beloved 2007 V8 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited I have had from its birth and will keep till one of us croaks has a 6 CD changer
eh, i'd prefer actual buttons and knobs over touch when driving. don't want to look at a screen.
Siri is easiest (once you get used to it), but you do have buttonsTLV-11 - unrecognized OID;CM-MAC=38:6b:bb:dc:e5:5d;CMTS-MAC=00:17:10:88:30:da;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0TLV-11 - unrecognized OID;CM-MAC=38:6b:bb:dc:e5:5d;CMTS-MAC=00:17:10:88:30:da;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0TLV-11 - unrecognized OID;CM-MAC=38:6b:bb:dc:e5:5d;CMTS-MAC=00:17:10:88:30:da;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0hey should bender , righ
Yep. That's right. That's how well the AI comments section interface works.
Screw it…. Not even worth it.
Plug in your phone and try "hey Siri" ????
Siri is easiest (once you get used to it), but you do have buttonsTLV-11 - unrecognized OID;CM-MAC=38:6b:bb:dc:e5:5d;CMTS-MAC=00:17:10:88:30:da;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0TLV-11 - unrecognized OID;CM-MAC=38:6b:bb:dc:e5:5d;CMTS-MAC=00:17:10:88:30:da;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0TLV-11 - unrecognized OID;CM-MAC=38:6b:bb:dc:e5:5d;CMTS-MAC=00:17:10:88:30:da;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0hey should bender , righ
Yep. That's right. That's how well the AI comments section interface works.
Screw it…. Not even worth it.
Plug in your phone and try "hey Siri" ????
Ok, that was funny.
Nonsense. The BMW system is pathetic overall (sadly, though, better than that of either Audi or Lexus). BMW has a voice command system that is not only useless, but annoying. I've lost track of the number of times I've turned on my iPhone and used Siri (via Bluetooth) instead of their voice commands. The built in storage system for music is primitive. For example, try editing or putting in the names of tracks, or creating a playlist. You can't. BMW's 'apps' and search functions are a joke. I could go on.
In case you're wondering, I absolutely love the car -- it's by far the best I've owned and the most fun to drive. But the user interface for the their electronics is frustrating and limited in functionality. Maybe it was state of the art in the 1990s.
The next car I buy will have CarPlay, or I'll keep my current vehicle until the make/model I want offers it. Period.
My brother bought a 2010 audi R8 and the "bang and olofson" sound system in it is catastrophically poor quality...
The engine sound is the only thing you should be listening to in an R8...
The next car I buy will have CarPlay, or I'll keep my current vehicle until the make/model I want offers it. Period.
I've come across more people lately who's next car purchase is partially or completely revolving around CarPlay availability. This is huge once the car manufacturers realize this. Or at least the car manufacturers can offer a QNX-based "open console" hardware platform that allows CarPlay, Android Auto, or whatever. Then let the UI from your own personal phone be the differentiator. Don't let the car manufacturer's hardware/software MMI (which is always obsolete) be the differentiator.
Good to hear that the different divisions of the VAG finally started working with each other.
As CarPlay-enabled vehicles are just now rolling off assembly lines, aftermarket solutions like Pioneer's AppRadio 4 and Alpine's iLX-007 head units have gained in popularity, though the system has yet to gain significant traction with car buyers and owners.
This is rediculous. You can't expect something like Carplay to be available everywhere as soon as it is announced. Car manufacturers put years into development of new vehicles, so it takes time to get stuff like this implemented. This is why we haven't seen it in as many new cars so far, it must be a little bit more difficult to get the software up and running on the current head units that the manufacturers are using so they are taking a bit more time to get it working right before they release it.
As far as aftermarket units go, those manufacturers usually release new units in the spring each year, so they would have come out with all their new stuff before Carplay was even announced. So they would have had to have been working with Apple ahead of time to have units ready, or be lucky enough to get it to work on currently planned hardware in order to make it available. I'm guessing this spring/summer we will start to see a lot more units available with Carplay compatibility when the new lines are released. I'm really hoping to see a new unit from Kenwood as it might finally convince me to upgrade my old DNX6019.
Further, the build in navigation system would be a lot better with Apple Maps.
When you say things like Apple Maps is only moderately functional (at least in the US) you lose credibility. Apple Maps has come a long way since arrival and might not have all the point of interest data as Google's product, but it performs very well in terms of giving driving directions.
Try adding a turbocharged carburetor... that should do it.
“Hey, Siri, do what I want.”