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

[Sandstorm]

When will car companies realize that they can't make this kind of stuff... The interfaces for these systems are all terrible. It doesn't matter what brand it is either: Honda, Ford, Toyota, Chevrolet, etc. None of them make good "infotainment" systems. Clunky and difficult to use is an understatement. They make cars. They need to give up and let Apple and Google do the software...

True, the absolute majority of current car infotainment systems are utter crap. But I can give you one huge exception - the new Volvo user interface.

Seriously, take a look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLkNBvzxa9E

This system is implemented in the all new Volvo XC90. First real world reviews are very positive.

 

[dilbert99]

I've never seen so many people say they'd make a 5 to 6 figure financial decision based on their cell phone manufacturer. That's some of the strangest crap I've ever heard. One of you who've made that statement, please help me understand your logic. I am genuinely curious how a decision on purchasing a car (the second most expensive purchase most people make) can be influenced to that extent by something as inconsequential as the infotainment module being Apple powered.

I want a car company to make my life easier so that I can use hands free in my car and have my music collection available and give me easy to use maps that don't cost a fortune to update. All while making this as safe as possible from the steering wheel.

Think of it as one more box to tick, for my next car I will evaluate all of the cars out there, if one of those has Car Play it has more chance of moving up my list.

 

[miamialley]

Welp, Toyota will be last on my list.

If Apple would actually PROMOTE CarPlay customers would begin requesting it overwhelmingly. Apple really missing the boat.

 

[jkruehne]

…On the other hand, thats not a big deal because recent Pioneer and Alpine aftermarket headunits support CarPlay. …

the best solution for ALL car manufactures AND the customer would be just a connector for iPhone AND Android as an option to a how ever designed own version - free choice for all : )

 

[jovada]

When will car companies realize that they can't make this kind of stuff...

I do like how it works in my BMW. Pointing at a screen while driving is complicated and too distracting. Being able to do everything while my arm is on the armrest is a big advantage.

 

[cdm283813]

Wouldn't the $30-45K price put the focus even more on upgradeable technology? It's actually a deal breaker for me as well, and I'm planning on spending far more than that. And believe me, the interoperation with my smartphone is very high on the list...rather than spend money on a bunch of ad hoc services like On Star or subscription based navigation systems, I have all of that in my pocket.

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.

----------

Welp, Toyota will be last on my list.

If Apple would actually PROMOTE CarPlay customers would begin requesting it overwhelmingly. Apple really missing the boat.

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.

 

[vajon]

I WILL choose my next car by what kind of integration it has with my phone. Chevy said that the 2016 Volt will support CarPlay. So if I am now choosing between a Prius or a Volt, I'm getting the Volt. At least GM is smart enough to know to spend time on the software that runs the car's systems, and not spend money on the UI of the infotainment.

Some car companies are reluctant to give up the cash cow that is their infotainment options. Remember when DVD players cost an extra $1800? They make huge margins on those "built-in" systems. Why buy an internal GPS, when you could buy a Garmin for $100, or use your phone? Who are they kidding?

I'll choose my next car based on if it can save my family from a crash and not if it works with my phone together or not.

 

[TouchMint.com]

I really hope they change something. Their current setup is horrible and Id rather use a tapdeck connected to my iPhone than the trash non captive touchscreen they provide. The interface is horrible and buggy too. This is a 2013 prius-c

 

[MH01]

There are a lot of considerations like reliability, safety, and cost that restrict the type of features that can be implemented in automative electronics. I'm sure most head-end units aren't very expensive; adding a high-end computer into the car is something manufacturers don't want to do especially with the competition and tight fisted customers..

You nailed it, reliability and safety are the main concerns. These units are seldom updated. I for one would not trust iOS not to crash after each update.

 

[centauratlas]

Fortunately, I've never had the urge to buy a car from that company.

My take is that Toyota is not a dumb company, they will support it eventually. BUT right now they are a car company and are having problems with the technology and getting new tech into their cars in a timely fashion and don't want to admit it.

My Lexus RX450 is nearly 5 years old and was considering Toyota, Lexus, Acura or a M Benz. The things I look for are reliability, safety and comfort. A big thing after the Lexus and the MB GL450 I had before it was under the comfort section and the fact that (a) it was difficult to get audio from the iPod or iPhone into the sound system, (b) the terrible interface that Lexus has when an iPod or iPhone is connected, and (c), perhaps most important, the fact that the GPS map is out of date practically from the moment you get the vehicle - yeah you can spend a couple of hundred dollars a year to get updates or you can just use your phone.

CarPlay or Android Auto should, in theory, fix that. This is disappointing from Toyota that they aren't supporting it. (Toyota makes Lexus and they need help on human factors).

 

[peterh988]

So you would rather buy a car based on infotainment? What ever happened to drivability, reliability, safety and value? The goofy stereo and hvac controls are the last thing on my mind. I don't plan on using those features every 5 minutes during my route.

Most 'family car' vehicles are pretty much all the same these days regarding engine, brakes and all the mechanical stuff, and many of the people in the market for such a car don't really care beyond 'reliable' and 'fuel economy'.

They do seem to care about the trim and toys though. As such, a lot of buying decisions will be made on sat nav, heated seats and sound system. It would make sense to compete in this area rather than emphasise your car has 2bhp more that all the others in its class. Most people don't care about that, they care about being able to charge their phone.

In fact one of the Sunday newspapers in the UK this weekend did a review of a car costing £245,000. One of the cons listed was "No usb port for charging your phone"

 

[sshambles]

Will definitely make me think differently about buying a Toyota.

Had one for 9 years, no complaints so far, but first thing replaced was the stereo system. Added iPod connectivity which also works iPhones (minus charging). Anything that doesn't have iPhone charging and connectivity to me, is not worth investing at least 10 years of driving into.

Unsure if CarPlay will make it to Australia, but if it's available, I'm going for it.
Provided the car is worthwhile - which I'm sure it will be.

 

[s2mikey]

Wow. People are considering not buying one of the best cars available because you just can't possibly be without your iPhone for an a hour here and there whilst driving? It's a car. It's purpose is not to be an entertainment center but rather to get you safely from where you are to your desired destination.

The other scary thing is that people can't drive as it is so we are going to add more distractions. Great. Why not just raise the legal BAC level to 5.0?

Un. Effing. Believable.

 

[centauratlas]

One thing that sucks about the Lexus (and presumably Toyota) navigation system is that your passenger can't enter a destination while driving. It seems like a minor thing, but it is extremely annoying. You are driving on I-5 or I-95 or I-10 and you have to pull off to enter a destination (the voice feature is abysmal too).

CarPlay/AA would fix their stupidity. The auto companies are anything but nimble, they are huge, lumbering bureaucracies that couldn't turn on a dime if their lives depended on it. A little innovation will go a long way.

(And to the person way up thread complaining that CarPlay or AA should impact ones decision here for a 5 or 6 figure purchase - we have choices as people buying the products. HP, 0-60 speed and other muscle car metrics just don't matter for 99% of the people since you rarely, if ever, use them. Usability is the important factor for most car buyers now. If I can get a comfortable, safe, reliable car that has CarPlay or AA or one that does not, the choice is easy.)

 

[GlenK]

Just got a new Lexus NX 2 weeks ago and am totally happy with the way my iPhone interacts with the vehicle's system. The LexusApp Suite works great, bluetooth is awesome, and the remote app is excellent.

 

[JNGold]

I am researching for my next car, between Lexus IS250 and Audi A3/A4. I was leaning toward Lexus for its reliability. Now I don't know anymore. their infotainment system is horrible.

If audi can improve their reliability and has carplay, Lexus is off my list.

TBH, I have driven a Lexus model for the last 9 years. If you cross off a car just because of the infotainment UI you are making a BIG mistake. While the Lexus UI isn't up to CarPlay standardard, it is definitely usable and workable. As an iPhone user, the iPad integration is nice in that it reads all playlists including your iTunes radio stations and if you use the iOS podcasts app, it can read your podcast lists as well.

In terms of GPS, if you subscribe to Sirus XM you can save locations to your phone and then transfer the location directly to the car, alleviating the need to enter address informarion via the car GPS UI.

I think the key statement here is my original comment is that the current Lexus UI is SERVICEABLE and allows me to use various functions both while driving and while parked efficiently enough to not be a nuisance.

Furthermore, it would be difficult to explain in words all the other benefits of owning/driving a Lexus aside from the infotainment center, including the reliability factor.

 

[prowlmedia]

Good for Toyota. One less "Apple Tax"! I'll be sticking with Toyota/Lexus.

Wow. People are considering not buying one of the best cars available because you just can't possibly be without your iPhone for an a hour here and there whilst driving? It's a car. It's purpose is not to be an entertainment center but rather to get you safely from where you are to your desired destination.

The other scary thing is that people can't drive as it is so we are going to add more distractions. Great. Why not just raise the legal BAC level to 5.0?

Un. Effing. Believable.

It has nothing to do with that at all

Car companies are using the OS QNX to create their Car interfaces

Carplay and Android Auto are just overlays that can interface with it and provide you with a similar interface to your phone be it Android or iOS or windows or any other phone OS.

So you can have iOS or Google maps on screen - phone contacts etc all in the manner you are accustomed too.

Or perhaps most importantly you can use handsfree Siri or Google voice or Cortana. Non of which you will be able to do with Toyota.

Toyota is ignoring all that and going it alone.

And the reason... It's 100% so they can sell you Toyota Sat Nav or Audio options - MP3 - Digital Radio... all of which you probably won't need if you have a phone.

----------

You nailed it, reliability and safety are the main concerns. These units are seldom updated. I for one would not trust iOS not to crash after each update.

QNX runs a lot of car systems. Carplay / Android Auto is just a simple overlay to allow you link in and use your phone maps.

QNX is actually a company owned by Blackberry...how do you feel about that?

 

[icolove]

Ford Motor Company CTO Raj Nair: "We want it to be what we call 'device agnostic.' We've always said we don't want you to be making a purchase decision about your $30,000 automobile based on a $200 smartphone."

The other issue is support. For better or worse, the car manufacturer is going to have to support their own infotainment system as well as Apple & Google.

 

[prowlmedia]

But why do you want car play in a car? Plug your iPhone and that is it. there you have your music on line, gps and that is it.

Screen is bigger and simpler to navigate than the phone.

Siri / voice works... Siri take me home. Make a call etc. Mean much less staring at screen at 70mph.

 

[icolove]

QNX is actually a company owned by Blackberry...how do you feel about that?

Great, Blackberry/RIM has always been a top notch software company.

 

[bbeagle]

And when will everyone else realize touch screens and infotainment screens in general are dangerous in cars.

In cars today, yes....

but in self-driving cars, no.

 

[Iconoclysm]

The poster I responded to was deciding between two cars in that price bracket. That's the reason for the $ figure. I'm confused. What car available today isn't interoperable with any smartphone. With both bluetooth and wifi available in cars where's the disconnect?

No one has to spend money on ad hoc services. As you said all of that is in your pocket, and as I said it can be connected through bluetooth or wifi. I said in another post different people have different priorities when it comes to cars. CarPlay being an option would not be one of mine.

If I'm paying a significant amount of money for a car, I shouldn't have a degraded driving experience - and that doesn't just mean smooth handling. It means not having to fiddle around with a smartphone while driving, having better than Bluetooth audio, hands free with the text in the dash, cellular connectivity into the console itself, the ability to add apps to the dashboard, etc. Your definition of interoperability is very basic, year 2000 kind of junk.

 

[prowlmedia]

Ford Motor Company CTO Raj Nair: "We want it to be what we call 'device agnostic.' We've always said we don't want you to be making a purchase decision about your $30,000 automobile based on a $200 smartphone."

Carplay and Android auto are... These are Systems Run by QNX and just interface into WHATEVER device you have...

So to actually put your quote in context...

www.rethinkresearch.biz/articles/ford-finally-drops-microsoft-cWe want it to be what we call 'device agnostic.'ars-blackberrys-qnx/

They dropped Microsoft Sync FOR QNX Which will support ANY mobile - Carplay and Android Auto Etc.

----------

Great, Blackberry/RIM has always been a top notch software company.

Exactly! But the point is it's completely Device Agnostic.... Will play with any compatible device.

 

[bbeagle]

I'll choose my next car based on if it can save my family from a crash and not if it works with my phone together or not.

Cars of the future will work like this:

User (not 'driver') enters the car.
Car: 'Where would you like to go today?'
User: 'To work'
Car: 'Would you like to continue watching your movie on the way to work?'
User: 'Yes, please.'
Car: 'Traveling to work, continuing your movie. Relax and enjoy the show. Your arrival time is 7:35pm, in 35 minutes'

 

[icolove]

Carplay and Android auto are... These are Systems Run by QNX and just interface into WHATEVER device you have...

So to actually put your quote in context...

www.rethinkresearch.biz/articles/ford-finally-drops-microsoft-cWe want it to be what we call 'device agnostic.'ars-blackberrys-qnx/

They dropped Microsoft Sync FOR QNX Which will support ANY mobile - Carplay and Android Auto Etc.

----------



Exactly! But the point is it's completely Device Agnostic.... Will play with any compatible device.

I totally worded my response wrong, coffee first in the AM. You're absolutely right.