Over the last several weeks, CarPlay has been in the headlines quite a bit thanks to GM’s decision to bail on the platform and Rivian’s continued resistance. Apple, however, isn’t concerned and has recently updated its website to promote the fact that over 800 cars on the market currently support the feature.
Cars with CarPlay
GM announced at the end of March that will not support CarPlay in any of its future EVs, opting instead to go all-in on a custom system developed on top of Android Automotive. According to GM, it wants to develop new navigation features and subscription revenue opportunities that aren’t “dependent on a person having a cell phone.”
Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe, meanwhile, also defended his company’s decision to resist CarPlay in favor of its own infotainment system. According to Scaringe, Rivian’s decision to not use CarPlay is driven by its desire to be the “arbiter or head chef” of the in-car software experience, rather than handing over control to a company like Apple.
And amid all of that, other companies such as Ford have doubled down on CarPlay and praised it as a way to give customers “easy access and control of their smartphone apps.”
In a recent update to its website, Apple (intentionally or unintentionally?) entered the fray on this news cycle. According to its CarPlay website, there are “more than 800” car models on the market that offer CarPlay support. “More than 800 models to choose from,” Apple says. “It’s easier than ever to find a vehicle that works with CarPlay.”
Apple’s list includes an in-depth rundown of most every car on the market that offers native CarPlay support. This includes the latest from major carmakers like Ford, Nissan, Honda, and Hyundai. It also includes cars that aren’t currently available in the United States, such as BYD’s line of electric vehicles.
The list is also missing some of the more recent companies that have adopted CarPlay, including Lucid, the luxury electric vehicle maker. Lucid began rolling out both CarPlay and Android Auto last month after it was one of the most highly-requested features from owners.
As pointed out by MacRumors, Apple’s webpage touted that “over 600” cars supported CarPlay prior to this update.
Cars with car key support
Perhaps more interesting than highlighting CarPlay support, Apple’s website also touts the cars on the market that offer support for car key. This is Apple’s platform for storing your car’s key directly in the Wallet app on your iPhone and Apple Watch. Car key support is still far more limited in availability than CarPlay. Apple highlights options from BYD, BMW, Genesis, Hyundai, and Kia that support car key today.
BMW
- 2021 – 2023 1 Series
- 2021 – 2023 2 Series
- 2021 – 2023 3 Series
- 2021 – 2023 4 Series
- 2021 – 2023 5 Series
- 2021 – 2023 6 Series
- 2021 – 2023 8 Series
- 2021 – 2023 X5
- 2021 – 2023 X6
- 2021 – 2023 X7
- 2021 – 2023 X5 M
- 2021 – 2023 X6 M
- 2021 – 2023 Z4
- 2022 – 2023 i4
- 2022 – 2023 iX
- 2022 – 2023 iX1
- 2022 – 2023 iX3
- 2023 i3
- 2023 i7
BYD
Genesis
Hyundai
- 2023 Palisade
- 2023 IONIQ 6
Kia
- 2023 Telluride
- 2023 Niro
- 2024 Seltos
As first spotted by Nicolás Álvarez on Twitter, British sports car company Lotus is also working to adopt car key support, though nothing has been officially announced just yet.
The latest on next-generation CarPlay
One thing Apple hasn’t provided an update on, however, is next-generation CarPlay. First announced at WWDC 2022, next-gen CarPlay is an all-new interface that lets Apple’s platform take control over the entire in-car experience. This includes support for gauge clusters, climate control, and much more.
Apple says that the first cars with support for this next generation of CarPlay will be announced sometime in late 2023. We do, however, know some details on which automakers have signed on to support this new CarPlay interface.
- Land Rover
- Mercedes Benz
- Lincoln
- Audi
- Volvo
- Honda
- Porsche
- Nissan
- Ford
- Jaguar
- Acura
- Polestar
- Infiniti
- Renault
One thing to remember, however, is that the adoption and implementation details of this new CarPlay are outside of Apple’s control. Ultimately, it’ll be up to each of these automakers and their respective timelines to roll out the new CarPlay design. And most of those automakers have been quiet on their plans so far.
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