Is Tesla Finally give in to the owners’ wishes and add something Apple CarPlay Smartphone mirroring on your infotainment system?
Sources within Tesla said so Bloomberg The automaker is actively developing and testing support for Apple CarPlay in its vehicles. However, Tesla is not working on Android Auto support. There is also no intention to use CarPlay Ultra, which takes over every screen in the car and all its functionality.
CarPlay reportedly won’t take up the entire infotainment screen on Teslas. This is a common solution for large infotainment screens, especially in vehicles where many common features such as: B. the air conditioning, can be controlled primarily or exclusively via the main touchscreen.
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Drivers who want to use full autonomous driving (monitored) will need to enter their destination into Tesla’s native navigation app, as using Google Maps, Apple Maps or Waze on CarPlay only allows turn-by-turn navigation.
It’s unclear when Tesla’s CarPlay might launch, but sources suggest it could be in the coming months, although plans have not yet been finalized.
Of course, developing and testing CarPlay support or any other feature is no guarantee that it will come to market.
However, if it does happen, it will come at an important time for the automaker and could help keep current owners engaged and entice those thinking about getting into electric vehicle ownership.
Although the company is still by far the leading electric vehicle brand in the U.S., Tesla is falling behind in the global electric vehicle sales race. Through the end of September, Tesla’s global sales fell about 6 percent to 1.22 million units, putting it second behind BYD, which reported a 37 percent increase to 1.61 million vehicles.
Tesla’s sales, particularly in Europe, have been hit hard by a combination of factors, including increasing competition from European and Chinese automakers, an aging model line and CEO Elon Musk’s divisive politics.
Should Tesla introduce support for Apple CarPlay, it will be interesting to see whether this will impact other automakers that don’t support smartphone mirroring.
Like Tesla, American rival Rivian has never supported Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, arguing that its own infotainment system offers better functionality and performance, particularly when it comes to navigation, where range and charger information are important for long road trips.
In contrast, General Motors was an early adopter of CarPlay and Android Auto, but began dropping mirroring support for its new electric vehicles in 2023 and confirmed last month that it would do the same for new internal combustion engine vehicles.
The General’s latest infotainment systems are based on the Android Automotive operating system and feature Google Maps, Google Assistant and other common apps as standard. GM CEO Mary Barra has criticized smartphone mirroring for making the infotainment experience feel disjointed. The automaker also hopes to make infotainment subscription services a major source of revenue.
Regardless, Cadillac will continue to offer CarPlay and Android Auto support in select export markets, including Australia.
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