2019 Toyota Avalon to Support Integration With Apple’s CarPlay System

Toyota’s flagship four-door Avalon sedan will be the Japanese carmaker’s first model in North America to offer integration with Apple’s CarPlay system.

According to a new report from MacRumors, the new for 2019 vehicle was unveiled today, and Toyota confirmed that it will have support for Apple’s system at launch.

The car, unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show 2018, features the automaker’s newest Entune 3.0 infotainment platform, including the Toyota Connected Services. Toyota’s CarPlay implementation is wired so users will need to connect their devices via USB.

Until now, the Japanese automaker had resisted allowing smartphone operating systems access to its infotainment systems, citing security concerns. Recently, Toyotal was among the few automotive holdouts without Apple CarPlay or Android Auto compatibility.

Brian Inouye, Toyota’s Chief Product Owner for App-based & Connected Services, said that the automaker’s upcoming CarPlay integration is “consistent with Toyota’s privacy principles.”

Recent surveys indicated that more and more car buyers are starting to consider Apple’s CarPlay technology a must-have feature, so Toyota’s support for the platform will certainly please both new car buyers as well as the company’s bottom line.

That consistency doesn’t extend to Android Auto — at least not yet. Inouye gave no hints about the potential for Android Auto integration in the future. For iPhone users who want a new Toyota, however, the 2019 Avalon opens the floodgates.

Toyota has said that the 2019 Avalon will go on sale in late Spring of this year, but it thus far remains silent in regards to pricing.