Tesla is reportedly interesting in adding Apple CarPlay support to its vehicles, marking a notable shift in its long-standing resistance to third-party infotainment platforms.
According to a report from Bloomberg, which cites anonymous individuals familiar with the matter, internal testing is already underway. Tesla owners have long asked for CarPlay support, as the EV leader has so far relied solely on its own proprietary infotainment systems. Meanwhile, GM is actively moving to phase out Apple CarPlay and Android Auto from its EVs, and is even exploring the idea of no longer offering it in future ICE-based models as well.
Adding CarPlay support would mark a stark reversal for Tesla and company CEO Elon Musk, the latter of whom has been an outspoken critic of Apple for years now. Apple was even once considered a potential Tesla competitor following the news that the tech giant was developing its own all-electric vehicle, although that plan was reportedly canceled in 2024.
Now, it looks like Tesla may be interested in integrating CarPlay after all. Bloomberg reports that the phone mirroring system may run inside a dedicated window within the Tesla interface, with core functionality like navigation and Full Self-Driving only accessible within the proprietary infotainment ecosystem.
Tesla market share has been in decline as of late, with recent reports indicating that the EV leader had only 38 percent of the U.S. electric vehicle market as of this past August. The last time the EV maker’s market share was under 40 percent in the U.S. was in October of 2017.
Meanwhile, GM is phasing out CarPlay (as well as the Android-based CarPlay equivalent, Android Auto) from its new EVs in favor or a proprietary infotainment system, while also exploring the idea of dropping the feature from its future ICE-based models as well. The move is considered highly controversial, given many customers consider Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to be critical features in a new vehicle.
Automobile Magazine-USA
