Rivian Explains Why CarPlay Debate Will Become 'Completely Obsolete'

[Thehangmn]

yes... just like everyone saw the cyber truck fail coming. I gave the model 3 and Tesla UI plenty of praise in this thread, it's just a shame that tesla has lost the plot. it isn't tesla pushing the bounds of what EVs can do these days.

I didn't make this about Tesla. I responded to the post below:

Rivian is a niche brand with small sales. I assume most people who buy them are already willing to forego CarPlay / don’t care about it.

And those who want CarPlay won’t buy a Rivian.

So they will remain a niche brand until they are bought by someone larger, go under, or figure out a way to grow.

For comparison:

Rivian had a successful 2025 with just over 42,000 vehicle sales.

Tesla in the same year sold over 1,636,000 vehicles.

Mitsubishi, that barely has a presence on the American market, sold just under 95,000 vehicles in the US.

anything I said about tesla before this was a comment about how they didn't need CarPlay because their infotainment system had good UI. Model 3 was a great Car. Model y was a pretty decent car, but I am not feeling like Tesla is delivering on the promise of EVs. you keep bringing up Semi, which was announced in 2017 if you recall. nearly ten years since they announced it, they are planning to deliver their first trucks. the lack of execution at tesla is disappointing. If Elon was crushing it and tesla had release a model 2 (hopefully that didn't look exactly like the model 3 and Y) and had plans for more cars? I wouldn't have much to complain about. at the moment, they are just planning for the cyber cab.... which doesn't really appeal to most people.

 

[SnowCrocodile]

yes... just like everyone saw the cyber truck fail coming. I gave the model 3 and Tesla UI plenty of praise in this thread, it's just a shame that tesla has lost the plot. it isn't tesla pushing the bounds of what EVs can do these days.

I didn't make this about Tesla. I responded to the post below:


anything I said about tesla before this was a comment about how they didn't need CarPlay because their infotainment system had good UI.

They were the major (and almost the only) serious contender on EV market. So they could get away with not supporting CarPlay as the customers had no choice.

Now that the EV market is a lot more competitive, Tesla is working on adding CarPlay. Imagine that.

Model 3 was a great Car. Model y was a pretty decent car, but I am not feeling like Tesla is delivering on the promise of EVs. you keep bringing up Semi, which was announced in 2017 if you recall. nearly ten years since they announced it, they are planning to deliver their first trucks. the lack of execution at tesla is disappointing. If Elon was crushing it and tesla had release a model 2 (hopefully that didn't look exactly like the model 3 and Y) and had plans for more cars? I wouldn't have much to complain about. at the moment, they are just planning for the cyber cab.... which doesn't really appeal to most people.

Still, they cornered the market and milked it for a while. Tesla is still #1 brand people look at when they consider an EV, and if not for Elon's ill advised association with DOGE, its position would be unbeatable for a while longer.

Rivian is, on the other hand... just barely there.

 

[SnowCrocodile]

Rivian is a niche brand just like Tesla was in 2016. But R2 is going to be huge. Just like model y was for Tesla. The difference is that Tesla stopped trying after the model y. They don’t have a roadmap for any new models outside of the 2 seater cyber cab.

No, the difference is that there was practically no competition for Tesla in 2016, and there's tons of competition for Rivian now. Starting with Tesla. They are a tiny footprint brand barely surviving in a market that is getting saturated (relative to demand).

I loved CarPlay and when I bought my model 3 I initially missed it, but I bought it because the model 3 was a great car. I stopped caring about CarPlay and with the Rivian I don’t even think about car play anymore and wonder why anyone thinks this is news. People will buy Rivians because they are great cars and then forget about CarPlay when they realize that it's superfluous.

There are dozens of you. Dozens.

you're thinking too small, give it a year or two and everyone will have their own MCP that will allow them to retain context across any AI agent. and the AI agents will be good enough that you won't know if you're using Claude or Gemini, or ChatGPT. The Rivian also has a brain that processes 1600 TOPs, while your latest iPhone has 35. so whatever your iPhone can do the rivian will be able to do faster.

Ok i misquoted the Rivian Data, it isn't that people that already bought the car don't care, it's that new buyers don't care. which is an even worse situation for CarPlay. Does car play have some neat features that i wish Rivian had? sure, maybe... but none of them would dramatically increase my satisfaction with the car or allow me to do something that I can't already do. So tell me why I need it?

 

[537635]

The problem with the “It’s easy to share with the car” answer is that there’s just enough friction that it rarely happens. I keep everything on my phone... links, addresses, messages, contacts, podcasts, music playlists, etc...

This pretty much sums it up in my opinion. I actually just ordered a new car and this was a single issue that was bothering me with Model Y. I don't want the hassle of manually transfering POI from my Apple Maps, playlists from Apple music, podcasts. Messages and notifications don't work.
If I had gotten the Y, I would mount the iPhone high up on the dashboard and use it normally. With CarPlay, phone can stay in the pocket.

So yeah, another -1 car purchase for Tesla (and companies alike) for not having CarPlay.

Passat B9 it is.

 

[Thehangmn]

No, the difference is that there was practically no competition for Tesla in 2016, and there's tons of competition for Rivian now. Starting with Tesla. They are a tiny footprint brand barely surviving in a market that is getting saturated (relative to demand).



There are dozens of you. Dozens.

How Do In-Car Infotainment Systems Compare to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto?

Consumer Reports' exclusive member survey reveals in-car infotainment system satisfaction compared against Android Auto and Apple CarPlay based on member satisfaction.

www.consumerreports.org

Consumer reports did a survey and Tesla drivers were among the most satisfied with their infotainment system. Among the worst include cars that have CarPlay. The takeaway is clear. For people that have crappy OEM infotainment systems CarPlay definitely improves the experience, for people that have a good infotainment system already, it doesn’t matter. For Tesla only 20% of Tesla owners said that CarPlay was important for their next car purchase. This is right in line with what Rivian reported as well.


I’d take a Tesla or a Rivian over a Toyota with an entune system that supported CarPlay any day. Most people that want CarPlay just want an infotainment experience that isn’t garbage. They don’t care about your super specific podcast app or your plex app. The vast majority of users just want a decent UI. Most OEMs, even those that do support CarPlay, still manage to mess it up and make the experience poor (see Toyota entune). You are right that people think they want CarPlay, but most people don’t know there are better options available

 

[SnowCrocodile]

How Do In-Car Infotainment Systems Compare to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto?

Consumer Reports' exclusive member survey reveals in-car infotainment system satisfaction compared against Android Auto and Apple CarPlay based on member satisfaction.

www.consumerreports.org

Consumer reports did a survey and Tesla drivers were among the most satisfied with their infotainment system. Among the worst include cars that have CarPlay. The takeaway is clear. For people that have crappy OEM infotainment systems CarPlay definitely improves the experience, for people that have a good infotainment system already, it doesn’t matter. For Tesla only 20% of Tesla owners said that CarPlay was important for their next car purchase. This is right in line with what Rivian reported as well.


I’d take a Tesla or a Rivian over a Toyota with an entune system that supported CarPlay any day. Most people that want CarPlay just want an infotainment experience that isn’t garbage. They don’t care about your super specific podcast app or your plex app. The vast majority of users just want a decent UI. Most OEMs, even those that do support CarPlay, still manage to mess it up and make the experience poor (see Toyota entune). You are right that people think they want CarPlay, but most people don’t know there are better options available

And how many extremely satisfied Tesla drivers would be extremely satisfied Hyundai drivers if Hyundai got to the US EV market along with Tesla and offered CarPlay?

You’re missing the point here. These people bought Tesla because there wasn’t really anything else to chose from. Then they were satisfied with their choice.

The people who skip a product because it doesn’t offer a feature that they want will never find out that they may actually like it in the first place. Which is why Tesla is now working on bringing the CarPlay.


(Although my close family gave Teslas and they put up with lots of issues that thru would probably never put up in a brand with a lesser cult status - yellowing adhesive under that huge tablet like screen, plastic brackets in the trunk that keep getting sheared off because they were not designed for carrying any reasonable load on bumpy roads, the whole stupid gullwing door fiasco where the doors need over 7ft overhead clearance to fully open and it may not work with garages that have 7 ft standard clearance, so you then have to duck under that door getting out of the 2nd row seat).

 

[OGdrknight]

Rivian should just say we want to monetize your data and not give you any options to choose what you want.

These days everyone seems to be trying to sell you subscription of some sort.

 

[Thehangmn]

And how many extremely satisfied Tesla drivers would be extremely satisfied Hyundai drivers if Hyundai got to the US EV market along with Tesla and offered CarPlay?

You’re missing the point here. These people bought Tesla because there wasn’t really anything else to chose from. Then they were satisfied with their choice.

The people who skip a product because it doesn’t offer a feature that they want will never find out that they may actually like it in the first place. Which is why Tesla is now working on bringing the CarPlay.


(Although my close family gave Teslas and they put up with lots of issues that thru would probably never put up in a brand with a lesser cult status - yellowing adhesive under that huge tablet like screen, plastic brackets in the trunk that keep getting sheared off because they were not designed for carrying any reasonable load on bumpy roads, the whole stupid gullwing door fiasco where the doors need over 7ft overhead clearance to fully open and it may not work with garages that have 7 ft standard clearance, so you then have to duck under that door getting out of the 2nd row seat).

I would guess some small percentage of the 20% that care about CarPlay.
Again Legacy auto companies like Hyundai's infotainment systems are awful. I drove an Ioniq 5 in May, the infotainment system was trash. I would’ve used CarPlay to try to improve the experience some, but Hyundai required a USB connection for CarPlay and the usb port was USB-A. way to go Hyundai. CarPlay doesn't help with the car's settings. so you have to navigate through all sorts of obnoxious menus to mess with audio settings like fade and balance. car play is a band-aid.

So again, the legacy automakers have trash infotainment systems. That’s why people think they need CarPlay. Tesla doesn’t; Rivian doesn’t and so their customers don’t care. How many hyundai ioniq owners would be much more satisfied with their EV if they had bought a better car rather than the one that had CarPlay?

 

[norbinhouston]

You won't convince us that its not just the money grab that it is.

 

[trackballp]

I don't know where you get your information from Rivian, but let me spell it out real clearly for you. When I am looking for a new car, the literal first thing I filter for is "CarPlay support". Beyond that I start looking at the size of the screen, the level of integration, and waaaaaaaaaay after that... the brand of vehicle.

If you drop CarPlay, you won't even be included in the list of brand I consider. You may as well not exist.

 

[Thehangmn]

I don't know where you get your information from Rivian, but let me spell it out real clearly for you. When I am looking for a new car, the literal first thing I filter for is "CarPlay support". Beyond that I start looking at the size of the screen, the level of integration, and waaaaaaaaaay after that... the brand of vehicle.

If you drop CarPlay, you won't even be included in the list of brand I consider. You may as well not exist.

That’s a really strange way to roll. I tend to decivde EV/ICE, then how many seats I need, cabin size, total cost, reliability, etc…. Even when I wanted CarPlay I bought cars that didn’t have it because of important factors like fuel economy and cost. Bought a hybrid rav 4 that way. I had driven a Honda CRV but the transmission drove me nuts.
if you want car play that bad I wager it’s because you’ve always driven cars with lousy infotainment systems, or you have a few niche apps that you’ve decided are must have on your car screen. CarPlay doesn’t offer much on a car with good software.

 

[537635]

It is not strange. We spend a lot of time on our phones and we spend a lot of time in our cars. For some (me included) the lack of friction between the two is quite high on the list of requirements. CarPlay offers a seamless integration, where car is a tool for driving, but all the information stuff stays on the phone.

I feel the same way, it's a dealbreaker. Car without CarPlay, nothing else matters, I will never buy it, no matter how good their infotainment system is. I can't take it with me, when I leave the car.

This is for the same reason I don't carry two separate phones, but one with possiblity to add additional eSIM cards.

I could argue that whoever doesn't feel CarPlay is important, simply isn't a power user of the feature. And this is fine. But for tech geeks - CarPlay is a must.

 

[norbinhouston]

Plus only a handful don’t have CarPlay. No excuse. Just a money grab.

 

[JoeG4]

I’d take a Tesla or a Rivian over a Toyota with an entune system that supported CarPlay any day. Most people that want CarPlay just want an infotainment experience that isn’t garbage.

You're exactly right!
And that's exactly why I want a car with a dumb system that supports wireless carplay/android auto and doesn't try to connect to the internet, doesn't throw advertisements at me, and doesn't spy on me.

Given the choice between a Rivian, Tesla, and Toyota... oh yeah I'd take the Toyota all day every day. And I'm not even a Toyota person. I've never owned a Toyota. I've driven a few as rentals, they were cheap feeling but nice.

Unlike every other brand, Toyota puts a tag on the radio informing you on how to opt out of them selling your data and ****. That's cool.

I've also rented a Tesla before. The only thing I liked about it were the seats. Well, it was cool that the radio lowered the volume when you opened the door, but the rest? Egh.

 

[Thehangmn]

It is not strange. We spend a lot of time on our phones and we spend a lot of time in our cars. For some (me included) the lack of friction between the two is quite high on the list of requirements. CarPlay offers a seamless integration, where car is a tool for driving, but all the information stuff stays on the phone.

I feel the same way, it's a dealbreaker. Car without CarPlay, nothing else matters, I will never buy it, no matter how good their infotainment system is. I can't take it with me, when I leave the car.

This is for the same reason I don't carry two separate phones, but one with possiblity to add additional eSIM cards.

I could argue that whoever doesn't feel CarPlay is important, simply isn't a power user of the feature. And this is fine. But for tech geeks - CarPlay is a must.

I guess I haven’t heard a CarPlay feature yet that makes me think I’m missing anything. I’ve had it and think it greatly improves lousy infotainment systems, but it doesn’t fix the rest of the issues with the car UI.
I will yield to team CarPlay. I disagree with y’all and think you’ll find in the future that CarPlay is unnecessary, but for now I’ll stand down

 

[Thehangmn]

Plus only a handful don’t have CarPlay. No excuse. Just a money grab

A money grab? How so?

Do you think all of apples services are a money grab?

 

[Thehangmn]

You're exactly right!
And that's exactly why I want a car with a dumb system that supports wireless carplay/android auto and doesn't try to connect to the internet, doesn't throw advertisements at me, and doesn't spy on me.

Given the choice between a Rivian, Tesla, and Toyota... oh yeah I'd take the Toyota all day every day. And I'm not even a Toyota person. I've never owned a Toyota. I've driven a few as rentals, they were cheap feeling but
Unlike every other brand, Toyota puts a tag on the radio informing you on how to opt out of them selling your data and ****. That's cool.

I've also rented a Tesla before. The only thing I liked about it were the seats. Well, it was cool that the radio lowered the volume when you opened the door, but the rest? Egh.

That’s cool that Toyota lets you opt out

 

[537635]

I guess I haven’t heard a CarPlay feature yet that makes me think I’m missing anything. I’ve had it and think it greatly improves lousy infotainment systems, but it doesn’t fix the rest of the issues with the car UI.
I will yield to team CarPlay. I disagree with y’all and think you’ll find in the future that CarPlay is unnecessary, but for now I’ll stand down

- You open an email, click on the specific location l, street in that email and activate navigation.

- You travel. You have a list of favourite places you'd like to visit, which you put together on your computer in Apple Maps.

- You receive a message, you glance at the content, click emoji to confirm or not or use Siri to dictate a reply.

- You can use any music streaming platform you want. Mp3s on your phone? No problem.

- Familiar UI. This is why I'd like to see Ultra on more vehicles. I agree that Tesla stands out in terms of usability but until they have CarPlay or I get a "Tesla phone", no sell.

 

[Thehangmn]

- You open an email, click on the specific location l, street in that email and activate navigation.

I have one extra step in that I have to share from Google Maps to my Rivian, but that’s not hard.

- You travel. You have a list of favourite places you'd like to visit, which you put together on your computer in Apple Maps.

I can do this with Google Maps, but Apple Maps only supports CarPlay. So….

- You receive a message, you glance at the content, click emoji to confirm or not or use Siri to dictate a reply.

I have and Apple Watch, so already possible without CarPlay. But Rivian also supports texting via Rivian assistant. So I get on screen notifications etc…

- You can use any music streaming platform you want. Mp3s on your phone? No problem.

I can do this on my phone and pair Bluetooth. I admit I can’t browse the music on my car screen. So it’s definitely not the same, but Rivian already supports both Spotify and Apple Music, so I’m pretty covered. I haven’t listened to an mp3 since the iPod days but I guess you are right I can’t play an mp3 file locally on my Rivian. But in fairness I also can’t play cds, cassettes, 8-tracks, reel to reel tape, or vinyl.

- Familiar UI. This is why I'd like to see Ultra on more vehicles. I agree that Tesla stands out in terms of usability but until they have CarPlay or I get a "Tesla phone", no sell.

If you drive a car everyday any UI becomes familiar. Also familiarity and usability are different things.

 

[537635]

It's always that "one extra step that doesn't bother me".

It bothers me. And many others. That's the point of why Carplay was made in the first place.

 

[norbinhouston]

lol, is that you RJ?

 

[Thehangmn]

It's always that "one extra step that doesn't bother me".

It bothers me. And many others. That's the point of why Carplay was made in the first place.

No it wasn’t, CarPlay was made because of lousy UI on cars. I can show you examples of one extra step that CarPlay takes vs Rivian or Tesla. Your arguments only hold true for the big traditional OEMs.

I drove a ford Mach-E with car play just the other day, with CarPlay and when I wanted to enter an address or location into the navigation it required that I tap a box before the search bar would appear, on Tesla or Rivian that is an extra step, the search bar is always open on maps.

Y’all are making mountains out of molehills.

 

[Thehangmn]

lol, is that you RJ?

I’m even defending Tesla, and I’m no fan of Elon. I am being objective. You guys are so attached to the idea of CarPlay being required that you can’t imagine that it isn’t in some cases.

 

[537635]

I’m even defending Tesla, and I’m no fan of Elon. I am being objective. You guys are so attached to the idea of CarPlay being required that you can’t imagine that it isn’t in some cases.

Can a car UI replace the phone UI when it comes to features that you mostly use on the phone (messages, setting up POIs for traveling, importing POIs from emails, messages, apps like Airbnb or Booking?

The answer is - NEVER. There will always be that "extra step". And that is exactly why - CarPlay.


I understand that you're fine with your current setup and that is ok. Others operate their phones as their primary devices and any additional unnecessary interaction with car UI is just not needed.

 

[Thehangmn]

Can a car UI replace the phone UI when it comes to features that you mostly use on the phone (messages, setting up POIs for traveling, importing POIs from emails, messages, apps like Airbnb or Booking?

The answer is - NEVER. There will always be that "extra step". And that is exactly why - CarPlay.


I understand that you're fine with your current setup and that is ok. Others operate their phones as their primary devices and any additional unnecessary interaction with car UI is just not needed.

ok, if you want to use your car to book Airbnbs I have no response to that.