- Mercedes says it won’t allow Apple CarPlay to completely take over its vehicles’ infotainment systems.
- Unlike GM, the automaker will continue to allow drivers to use the standard versions of CarPlay and Android Auto, though.
- Mercedes will work with tech companies to create features (such as a custom navigation app) for its vehicles.
Back in 2022, Apple announced that its in-vehicle phone mirroring system, CarPlay, would be able to take over every screen in a vehicle, including the instrument display. However, Mercedes says it won’t hand over complete control of its infotainment array to the tech company.
According to the German automaker’s CEO, Ola Kallenius, vehicles need a “holistic software architecture” to meet the needs of customers who are looking for a seamless infotainment experience, but handing the reins over to Apple is not the way to achieve that.
Read: US Takes Issue With Apple’s CarPlay Taking Over Your Car’s Screens In Lawsuit
“The short answer is no,” Kallenius told The Verge when asked if Mercedes plans to adopt a fully immersive version of CarPlay. “To give up the whole cockpit head unit — in our case, a passenger screen — and everything to somebody else, the answer is no.”
However, that doesn’t mean that Mercedes will go to the extreme lengths of a company like General Motors, which recently announced that it will not offer any form of Apple CarPlay or Android Auto in its upcoming electric vehicles.
“We’re not fundamentalists to say, for some reason, we’re not going to allow a customer to use Apple CarPlay if that’s what they choose to do,” said Kallenius. “So, we have Apple CarPlay. We have Android Auto. If, for some of the functions, you feel more comfortable with that and will switch back and forth, be my guest. You can get that, too.”
Mercedes is open to working closely with tech companies, and plans to install a custom version of Google Maps in its vehicles. However, the automaker will work with the tech company’s engineers to create something bespoke, without handing over complete control to the outside company.
While the decision to allow a tech company to take over an automaker’s infotainment and instrument screens may seem odd, that’s exactly what Porsche and Aston Martin plan to do. They have already demonstrated what the immersive Apple CarPlay display will look like on their vehicles.
