Toyota has revealed in a piece with the New York Times that it’s currently not planning to offer CarPlay on any of its vehicles in the United States, going back on being one of the first partners to announce CarPlay support last year.
John Hanson, the national manager of Toyota’s advanced technology communications, told the New York Times that while it talks frequently with Apple, Toyota currently has no plans to adopt CarPlay in the United States, but didn’t necessarily rule it out in the future.
“We may all eventually wind up there, but right now we prefer to use our in-house proprietary platforms for those kinds of functions,” Hanson said. He also ruled out the possibility of Android Auto currently being implemented.
Hanson didn’t comment on an international rollout of CarPlay in its vehicles. In March 2014, the company wrote on its UK blog that it plans to have the first new vehicles with CarPlay out by 2015, until quickly back tracking with the statement: “No announcements have been made about if and when Apple CarPlay will arrive in Toyota cars.”
CarPlay, announced by Apple in 2013, will work with all Lightning-enabled iPhones (currently the 5, 5C, 5S, 6 / 6 Plus), allowing users to access Siri: Eyes Free mode, Apple Maps, telephone, music, and iMessage from their in-car dash. Several car makers have already confirmed support for Apple’s car initiative.
The New York Times piece published on Sunday is a good read, diving into the Apple and Google rivalry for your next car’s dashboard.
Source: New York Times