Toyota says CarPlay coming to 2015 vehicles, then changes its mind

Apple CarPlay (Honda, Apple Maps 001)

You probably know by now that Apple’s CarPlay feature in iOS 7.1 has 100 percent guaranteed support from Ferrari, Volvo and Mercedes-Benz in their select 2014 models.

The company also hinted in a media release that BMW Group, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai Motor Company, Jaguar Land Rover, Kia Motors, Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan Motor Company, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Subaru, Suzuki and Toyota Motor Corp will be bringing CarPlay to their drivers “down the road.”

It now looks like one of the aforementioned manufacturers, Toyota, may have officially joined the initiative. According to the car maker’s original announcement, CarPlay was supposed to be “coming soon” to select 2015 vehicles, but it’s quickly backpedalled on the claim without saying when exactly CarPlay will hit the dashboard of its vehicles…

A post over at Toyota’s UK blog originally stated that CarPlay was coming to select 2015 vehicles.

Via Google Cache:

Apple CarPlay: coming soon to a Toyota near you

Apple’s CarPlay software will soon bring the iPhone experience to new Toyota models

Come 2015, you’ll be able to get the iPhone experience you love in your Toyota with Apple CarPlay. Apple revealed the ‘iOS in your car’ tech earlier this month, confirming Toyota is a partner in the project.

Details on which Toyota models will be first to get CarPlay compatibility are still to be announced, so stay tuned for more as we get it.

The post has since been amended with the following clarification:

A previous version of this article said Apple CarPlay would be in Toyota cars from 2015. This is incorrect and we are happy to put the matter straight.

Toyota stopped short of detailing when Apple CarPlay will arrive in their cars.

A quick observation: “2015 models” in car business speak can also indicate vehicles released between Spring and Fall of 2014.

Making matters even more confusing, Toyota now states that “no announcements have been made about if and when” CarPlay will come to its vehicles. If you ask me, this is a school example of an Apple partner prematurely publishing a press release.

The quick retraction suggests someone in Cupertino probably gave Toyota a call about the announcement, which in turn could indicate that Apple wants to only advertise Ferrari, Mercedes and Volvo as CarPlay launch partners during the exclusivity window.

Be that as it may, Pioneer said yesterday it’s been exploring aftermarket CarPlay solutions for its products, meaning owners of older car models which won’t integrate with CarPlay could add the feature to their vehicle as a dealer installed Pioneer accessory.