Toyota has confirmed it will finally embrace CarPlay in its 2019 Avalon and other vehicles launching this year. The Japanese firm is one of the last major automakers to adopt Apple’s platform, which will be available with all standard packages.
Not every company scrambles to adopt new Apple technologies. Toyota has been holding out on CarPlay since the platform made its debut in 2013, but fortunately for Toyota fans who use an iPhone, it has finally caved.
Toyota will introduce CarPlay this year
In a press release issued on Monday, Toyota confirmed CarPlay will be available with all standard grades of its 2019 Avalon coming this spring. It will also be integrated into other vehicles coming this year, as well as those from its luxury Lexis brand.
CarPlay will require Toyota’s Entune 3.0 or Lexus’ Enform 3.0 multimedia systems with a 9-inch touchscreen. It will require an iPhone to be connected by USB. Toyota will provide more details on upcoming CarPlay-compatible vehicles “soon.”
Toyota rivals like Ford, General Motors, BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, and many others have already begun integrating CarPlay into their vehicles.
At the North American International Auto Show in Detroit this week, RAM showcased a 12-inch touchscreen that will allow CarPlay or Android Auto to run alongside its own in-car multimedia system in future vehicles.
Via: MacRumors
Killian Bell is a freelance writer based in the U.K. He has an interest in all things tech and also covers Android over at CultofAndroid.com. You can follow him on Twitter via @killianbell.
4 responses to “Longtime holdout Toyota finally embraces CarPlay”
I sure hope they include Lexus in their decision. Their own home-grown system is worthless.
I have been a Lexus customer for 16 years, but won’t buy another Lexus without CarPlay… period.
^^ This
I’ve been a Lexus owner for years and it’s infuriating when the in-built system is a confusing, badly designed mess when I compare it to anything using CarPlay.
Sure, the recent Enform updates are a lot better for media, but the Nav system is *years* behind what Apple and Android has.
Yay! Have an FJ and said I wouldn’t buy another Toyota unless it had CarPlay.
I hope this now forces Mazda to get a move on as well!