Pioneer Announces First CarPlay Aftermarket In-Dash Multimedia System, Starting at $749

You don’t have to buy a new car to enjoy the forthcoming CarPlay experience: an aftermarket in-dash multimedia system will do it. The first to make this bold move is Pioneer, who today announced that consumers can smart-up their vehicle when the company ships the CarPlay-compatible firmware update.

“Pioneer’s years of expertise integrating smartphone connectivity into the automotive environment has provided us the opportunity to be among the first to offer CarPlay to drivers,” said Ted Cardenas, vice president of marketing for the Car Electronics Division of Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. “By providing an aftermarket option, Pioneer’s 2014 in-dash multimedia systems give many iPhone owners the ability to add CarPlay to their current vehicles.”

There are certain limitations though: the update will ship only to five 2014 NEX in-dash multimedia receivers, which feature large in-dash LCD displays. The great news is users can install it in most existing vehicles, so it is not limited to new cars. CarPlay also means that users will be able to place and receive calls, read messages, and listen to iTunes Radio (if applicable), etc.

The five NEX models are: AVIC-8000 NEX, AVIC-7000 NEX, AVIC-6000 NEX, AVIC-5000 NEX and AVH-4000 NEX. The entry-level in-dash system is the 7-inch-display AVH-4000NEX, which will retail for $749 ($700 in the US) starting this spring. The AVIC-5000NEX will cost $899.99, the AVIC-6000NEX $999.99, the AVIC-7000NEX $1299.99, while the AVIC-8000NEX has a suggested retail price of $1499.99.