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Toyota Currently Has No Plans to Support CarPlay or Android Auto in U.S.

H2SO4 said:
Unbelievable.

I’ve heard that so often. What I can’t quite comprehend is that of all the important things people should consider when buying a car, versatility, fuel economy, SAFETY, residual value etc. etc People are putting something as ridiculous as CarPlay at the top of the list.
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If you don't think that a good UI can have an effect on safety, I'm not sure what to say. The fact of life is that people are using their phones in their cars, a lot. Whether to listen to music, to navigate, to talk, text, set reminders, etc. etc. The current Toyota system is so poorly implemented that it actually reduces safety. Many essential features are locked out whenever the vehicle is in motion in the name of safety, but these can be handled perfectly well with a good interface. And what do people do when the Entune system locks them out? They go directly to their phone interface.
 
zhenya said:
If you don't think that a good UI can have an effect on safety, I'm not sure what to say. The fact of life is that people are using their phones in their cars, a lot. Whether to listen to music, to navigate, to talk, text, set reminders, etc. etc. The current Toyota system is so poorly implemented that it actually reduces safety. Many essential features are locked out whenever the vehicle is in motion in the name of safety, but these can be handled perfectly well with a good interface. And what do people do when the Entune system locks them out? They go directly to their phone interface.
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The fact is that you should not be doing both at the same time, but I am aware that people do.
Some idiot on the phone could have an effect on your safety and you not being on the phone but having CarPlay compatible infotainment will not make your bones any less susceptible to breakage.
Don’t be silly. You cannot seriously tell me that CarPlay is anywhere near as important as how well a car seat fits in your car or what the NCAP rating is? Or can you?
There are plenty of people, (employees of my company for example), that are forbidden from using the phone whilst driving. On the whole, I put Radio 5 on and leave it. I have more important things to worry about.
 
H2SO4 said:
The fact is that you should not be doing both at the same time, but I am aware that people do.
Some idiot on the phone could have an effect on your safety and you not being on the phone but having CarPlay compatible infotainment will not make your bones any less susceptible to breakage.
Don’t be silly. You cannot seriously tell me that CarPlay is anywhere near as important as how well a car seat fits in your car or what the NCAP rating is? Or can you?
There are plenty of people, (employees of my company for example), that are forbidden from using the phone whilst driving. On the whole, I put Radio 5 on and leave it. I have more important things to worry about.
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That's an effective point of view. Let's ignore the reality of what people are actually doing in their cars, and forget about doing anything that might work within that reality to increase safety.

The fact of the matter is that mechanically, cars, especially normal cars that I'd label as appliances, are becoming ever closer and closer in build quality and reliability. If a customer is looking at an Accord, a Camry and an Altima, and the Camry is the only one that doesn't integrate well with their smartphones - the piece of tech that people are married to more than any other and they will use absolutely every time they set foot in the vehicle, you'd be daft to think that won't sway buyers.
 
rezenclowd3 said:
And when will everyone else realize touch screens and infotainment screens in general are dangerous in cars.
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All that I need is Bluetooth audio. Using Siri when driving is frustrating and dangerous and I really don't understand why I need a bunch of apps on my dash. Messaging while driving is not safe regardless of the interface.
 
H2SO4 said:
The fact is that you should not be doing both at the same time, but I am aware that people do.
Some idiot on the phone could have an effect on your safety and you not being on the phone but having CarPlay compatible infotainment will not make your bones any less susceptible to breakage.
Don’t be silly. You cannot seriously tell me that CarPlay is anywhere near as important as how well a car seat fits in your car or what the NCAP rating is? Or can you?
There are plenty of people, (employees of my company for example), that are forbidden from using the phone whilst driving. On the whole, I put Radio 5 on and leave it. I have more important things to worry about.
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how do you enforce it (just curious)

In Ontario, operating a mobile handheld device is a violation of the highway traffic act, which has a specific set of rules governing the use of handheld devices. Caught driving with a cell phone in your hand (even if you're just holding it) you can be fined several hundred and get demerit points agianst your license.

More places need these laws. I wish we didn't, but its clear that people don't have the intelligence to govern themselves and when they use their devices.

However, In regards to head units and dashes.

All main functionality of a car should be accessible via standard physical controls. From climate to safety. There is no safe way to operate a touchscreen device, with no physical feedback to your hand position and actions, without glancing, even temporarily at the display.
 
You guys all talk a big game. But, while CarPlay would be NICE to have, it's not the end of the world to not have it (assuming there's a nice enough system that talks to the phone, etc..)

The fact is that there are NO high-end cars with CarPlay or Android Car on the market. I was just shopping for cars in the $60-$80k range, and I can tell you, there is NOTHING that comes close to the Lexus system. There's also nothing even remotely close to support for CarPlay.

Honestly, CarPlay does way less than the computer in my Lexus does. Apple Maps navigation isn't as good as my Lexus' built-in navigation either. There are subtle differences that make the Lexus the clear winner.

Spend some real money on a car, and I guarantee you that CarPlay becomes less important...
 
Greenstein said:
HUGE disappointment for those of us in the United States that are a fan of Toyota vehicles. While I'm not likely to get a new car for another 2-4 years, I sincerely hope they've changed their mind by then. If not, I might have to look to a different vehicle brand.

I'm the type of person that holds onto their car for 10 years (if possible), so when I do make the move for my next vehicle (was hoping it would be Toyota again), I'll have to do a full evaluation.

Carplay isn't everything and who knows, maybe it'll be something completely different than what it is today, but these are my current thoughts based on this news today.
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Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. I would love to stick with Toyota for my next car purchase but this made me think twice. If I'm buying a new car I'd like it to have CarPlay support. The reason I've stuck with Toyota is because my car maintence is very easy to perform. But this is a real bummer.
 
mytdave said:
Well, goodbye Toyota, hello Hyundai
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you're perfectly willing to switch from a long standing quality automobile manufacturer with decades of success, top rated vehicles and some of the best safety and build quality in the price ranges

and go to a korean car company (while have gotten better, still isn't anywhere near Toyota's quality)... all because of "carplay"

:mad:

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WolfSnap said:
Love Honda. But, they don't have CarPlay either, AFAIK.

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LOL -- Enjoy your Korean car..

I wouldn't buy a Hyundai if I got one for free...
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Hyundai have come a LONG way over the last decade. They make some decent cars and finally have products that are at least comparable and in the same classes as Toyota and Honda.

Family has had a few Hyundais over the year. Mom recently bought herself the latest Sonata and it's not a bad car. Decent fit and finish. Comfortable enough drive and loaded enough with features.

She bought it the same time as I bought my Camry and I did test drive them before purchasing. For almost identical dollar amounts, the Camry was a better, more comfortable, better build quality, better driving, vehicle.

The Sonata felt squishy on the road. too soft. Too much body roll. Seats and internals felt cheaper.

To willingly choose a Sonata over a Camry, purely because of the in-dash unit is just silly. but, everyones entitled to buying what they want
 
LordVic said:
Hyundai have come a LONG way over the last decade. They make some decent cars and finally have products that are at least comparable and in the same classes as Toyota and Honda.

Family has had a few Hyundais over the year. Mom recently bought herself the latest Sonata and it's not a bad car. Decent fit and finish. Comfortable enough drive and loaded enough with features.

She bought it the same time as I bought my Camry and I did test drive them before purchasing. For almost identical dollar amounts, the Camry was a better, more comfortable, better build quality, better driving, vehicle.

The Sonata felt squishy on the road. too soft. Too much body roll. Seats and internals felt cheaper.

To willingly choose a Sonata over a Camry, purely because of the in-dash unit is just silly. but, everyones entitled to buying what they want
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Toyota is perfectly capable of creating an amazing in-dash interface. My Lexus GS350 has it. It's absolutely amazing -- but, it's probably $15,000 or so. There's no way they can put that into a Camry... Yet. But, give it time, it'll get into the consumer cars too.

And, I think that's the point. I already get full access to the music on the phone.. I already get full access to Pandora, iTunes radio, etc. I already get all the stuff I want via. the built-in in-dash computer on my Lexus, that I don't care if they implement CarPlay.

But, a quick glance at the state of affairs on the cheaper end of things confirms that the Camry (right now) would benefit from CarPlay.... But, give it a few years; Toyota is moving in the right direction.
 
cr2 said:
What was the reason behind Verizon's decision? I switched to ATT after being with Verizon for 10+ years just because I wanted an iPhone.
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I would guess arrogance. They probably thought their network was so amazing that there was no reason to pay Apple to be the first with the iPhone.
 
IbisDoc said:
Fortunately, I've never had the urge to buy a car from that company.
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I bought a Toyota Echo in early 2002, am fairly "lax" in maintenance, and the little beast is still humming along nicely 13 years later. In fact, it is holding up a lot better than many other similar-vintage cars my friends have.

Which car you buy is of course a matter of personal preference, but I don't think Toyota's reputation as a high-quality relatively-cheap carmaker has passed it by.

In any case, two thoughts on-topic. The first is that aftermarket radios will continue to be "where it's at" for Toyota vehicles, it looks like. I just finally replaced the old stock radio in my Echo this last year, and the difference in features is night and day (no more FM transmitters and never-used-but-still-nonfunctional cassette deck taking up dashboard space!) It seems like automakers generally cede the "high end" stereo market to aftermarket suppliers, which is a shame. When I bought my vehicle, the iPod was out and before that I'd used other portable devices for audio, yet the stereo options were AM/FM radio only, a CD+Tape+AM/FM deck, or (I think) a multi-CD disk changer, for something like $1500 more (!!!). Considering I'd installed an aftermarket 10-disk CD changer in my previous vehicle for $300, installed, I wasn't up for getting that "high end" option. None of the options had any way to hook up a mobile audio player - no aux jacks, and the whole iPod cord connection hadn't even started to take off yet. So, I got a cassette deck. In 2002, not 1992, not 1987 either. Sigh. The point is, Toyota's wasn't on the "cutting edge" of in-car audio back then.

Since then, though, they have invested heavily in in-car electronics with the Prius etc. I think that that investment, more than anything, is what is keeping them from signing on to provide CarPlay or Android Auto. They have too much of a perceived competitive advantage that they have invested heavily in over the past decade. Which brings me to my second point, which is that Toyota probably will ride its proprietary horse here off the cliff, long after it is clear that Apple and Google's alternatives are the way to go, because it has put too much money into it to write it off.
 
I have a feeling that Apple is again disrupting an industry - this time, its car electronics. CarPlay is just a beginning and probably there will be whole Apple head unit, complete with touchscreen and maybe iPad based (7 inches standard for 2DIN). Its a matter of time before they do it. It can cost about 300-400 dollars, same as iPad and the CarPlay Pioneer. in fact, mini ipad is ready for in-dash entertainment. It just nees to be connected to car electronic system. However, the CarPlay is best cost effective solution for Apple. It gets iPhone sale and the headunit already Apple-compatible. Selling Apple car in dash system maybe not that profitable.
 
“We may all eventually wind up there, but right now we prefer to use our in-house proprietary platforms for those kinds of functions,” Mr. Hanson said.
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Of course they do. They bury their tedious proprietary technology in premium luxury packages along with Bluetooth, Hands-Free dialing, and other features that should be included in basic configurations. I hate the car companies for this.
 
No problem by me. Toyota makes the most boring cars on the face of the planet. I'll never buy one.

Mark
 
Our current vehicle is a 2008 Honda Pilot with Navigation. We were excited to have the optional tech package at the time.

Things have changed. My iPhone runs circles around anything that in-dash system can do. We never use that $2500 option anymore.

Today, I'm thinking about replacing that vehicle. I will not entertain dropping several thousands on a feature that is horribly out of date. Yet it tends to be bundled with other features I do want.

Which leaves me one choice: Get a car that has CarPlay built in, so I can at least take advantage of the touch screen while avoiding obsolescence.

Toyota, get with the times, and do it quick.
 
coolfactor said:
I never expected this from Toyota, but I guess they see it as a way of differentiating themselves. Too bad that will drive potential customers to other brands. I just can't see how their proprietary system could be better in any way.

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Toyotas are quality machines.
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If by machines you mean bland appliances then sure.
 
cdm283813 said:
I'm getting too old to understand. My first car was a 1984 Nissan 200SX. The car talked to me in perfect English to tell me that my lights were on or that my door was ajar. It didn't even have air bags, anti-lock brakes or stability control. I had a freaking tape deck and the cell phone we know today did not exist.
Yet somehow that was my favorite car. I drove the car and loved it. That's what matters the most.

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How can you make a major purchase decision based on infotainment?
This is like buying a house based on the type of washer and dryer it comes with.
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All things being equal, I'd choose the one with CarPlay. Otherwise, it will be a consideration because installing a third party display will run $1500 (I would get an 8" if compatible). A much bigger percentage of the purchase than a W/D. Making it a reasonable consideration.

Installing new unit into car: $1,500 of a $30,000 purchase, 5%.
New W/D in house: $1,500 of a $300,000 purchase, 0.05%.

Besides, there's no Toyota I'd buy anyway. I'd rather have an Accord hybrid over a Prius and that'd be the only Toyota I would come close to considering.

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Mark Booth said:
No problem by me. Toyota makes the most boring cars on the face of the planet. I'll never buy one.

Mark
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You should worry that other car companies will take the same strategy.
 
69Mustang said:
What you wrote is not true.

...

Your post is disturbing.
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To someone with a handle of "69Mustang" I am sure it is. The late 60's Mustangs cemented the sales pattern of selling a stylish car that lacks performance for as much margin you can get while foregoing most technical advances. You immediate reaction is akin to a lot of beaten-wife behavior that traditional automotive customers have that Apple is in process of eliminating.

Automotive retail sales are some of the most mentally abusive sales environments out there. The manufacturers has their wholesale margin and through the country, there are laws setting up regional monopolies for automotive sales.

Many of these car dealers go back a century with family owning the business having connections in government positions. The local sales guys harass the hell out of local consumers for as much margin as they can.

Whenever a new gizmo comes out, the retailers treat it as nothing but a high margin accessory. CarPlay is the latest where Apple has customer experience in mind from sales to use. Instead, automotive retailers try to gouge for as much margin as they can.

Just wait til CarPlay comes out and the local sales crew gets their floor instructions. They will not like it at all but the customers will love it.
 
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WolfSnap said:
You guys all talk a big game. But, while CarPlay would be NICE to have, it's not the end of the world to not have it (assuming there's a nice enough system that talks to the phone, etc..)

The fact is that there are NO high-end cars with CarPlay or Android Car on the market. I was just shopping for cars in the $60-$80k range, and I can tell you, there is NOTHING that comes close to the Lexus system. There's also nothing even remotely close to support for CarPlay.

Honestly, CarPlay does way less than the computer in my Lexus does. Apple Maps navigation isn't as good as my Lexus' built-in navigation either. There are subtle differences that make the Lexus the clear winner.

Spend some real money on a car, and I guarantee you that CarPlay becomes less important...
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I just got one of the new Lexus NX's two weeks ago and you are spot on. The system in this car is amazing and it sync's up very nicely with my iPhone 6.
 
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