Apple CarPlay And Amazon Alexa Now Available For 2018 Camry, 2018 Sienna

Early last year, Toyota began rolling out Apple CarPlay and Amazon Alexa to its 2019 and 2020 lineup starting with the Avalon and continuing with the Corolla and Tacoma.

Now, the automaker is expanding these features to current owners of 2018 Camry and 2018 Sienna vehicles. Both Apple CarPlay and Amazon Alexa compatibility can be retrofitted to the aforementioned models.

According to the company, Apple CarPlay and Amazon Alexa installation will be performed at Toyota dealerships. The carmaker will notify all 2018 Camry and 2018 Sienna owners and encourage them to contact their dealer for additional details or to schedule an appointment.

“We are always striving to bring highly desirable services to our vehicles. This new program enables CarPlay and Amazon Alexa on some of our most popular vehicles already on the road,” said Steve Basra, vice president of Connected Technologies for Toyota Motor North America. “It’s a great opportunity to surprise and delight our existing customers,” the executive added.

2018 Toyota Sienna

Toyota does not say whether Apple CarPlay and Amazon Alexa will be offered for older model years of the Camry and Sienna or for other vehicles. However, given that Mazda began offering retrofits for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for select 2014 or newer models, the same could happen to older Toyotas as well. Pricing information for the installation is not available right now.

On a separate note, Toyota decided to pause deployment of Dedicated Short-Range Communications (DSRC) technology for V2X on vehicles in the United States. Initially, the company planned to start installing the tech in 2021.

“This decision is based on a range of factors, including the need for greater automotive industry commitment as well as federal government support to preserve the 5.9 GHz spectrum band for DSRC. We will continue to re-evaluate the deployment environment as we work toward creating a safer and more efficient driving ecosystem,” Toyota said in a statement.