Apple’s CarPlay Coming to Select Volkswagen Cars Later This Year [CES 2015]

Volkswagen_CarPLay

At CES in Las Vegas, German automotive manufacturer Volkswagen unveiled plans to incorporate Apple’s CarPlay into select car models later this year.

Volkswagen was not included in Apple’s first list of partners when the Cupertino-based company announced CarPlay. However, the CarPlay integration with Volkswagen’s select car models shows that the German manufacturer may have been waiting for all of these platforms to be announced before committing to Apple’s solution.

“It has now been eight years, to the month, since Apple® introduced its first generation iPhone in San Francisco. Smartphones have irreversibly changed our everyday lives, from the ways we communicate to how we access information. It has long been normal practice to have phones automatically connected to a car’s hands-free telephone system via Bluetooth and to have smartphones stream media libraries into car infotainment and sound systems. But now, Volkswagen is taking a significant step forward.

Later this year, VW will introduce the second generation “modular infotainment platform” (MIB II) in the United States. Along with the new infotainment system, MirrorLink™ will also be made available for the first time, integrating the apps and operating layout of numerous smartphones (including Samsung, HTC, LG and Sony) into cars. When MirrorLink™ is introduced, two other interfaces will also be launched under the App-Connect label: CarPlay™ (Apple®) and Android Auto™ (Google®). Simultaneously, VW will also launch CarPlay™ and Android Auto™ in the European market.”

The company’s next-generation infotainment system will include support for CarPlay, Android Auto, and MirrorLink. Volkswagen cars in Europe and North America will receive support for these new platforms in late 2015, however the company has yet to announce any pricing for the new infotainment system.

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