Carmakers tune in to Apple’s CarPlay system

March 5, 2014 by Alastair Sloane

Volvo Apple CarPlay

Volvo is one of the first carmakers to endorse Apple’s CarPlay technology, which seamlessly pairs the iPhone with a vehicle’s infotainment system.

Apple unveiled CarPlay at the Geneva motor show, saying that Volvo, Ferrari and Mercedes-Benz would immediately introduce the system.

Others hopping on the CarPlay bandwagon include BMW, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar Land Rover, Kia, Mitsubishi, Nissan, PSA Peugeot Citroen, Subaru, Suzuki, and Toyota.

CarPlay takes control of the car’s screen and allows drivers to use the iPhone’s functions. (In the Volvo video here, it also handles the climate control and seat heating systems).

The big advantage of CarPlay is that carmakers no longer have to keep updating their infotainment systems to stay ahead of the competition – Apple will do that for them with each new iOS (operating system) release.

Apple is providing access to all the best features of iOS, controlled by voice and, depending on your car, the touchscreen or control knob.

The user interface will be familiar to iOS users, with reworked versions of Maps, Podcasts, Messaging, and Music developed for the car’s screen.

CarPlay is available as an update to iOS 7 and works with Lightning-enabled iPhones, including iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c and iPhone 5.

CarPlay offers: Navigation: AppleMaps, with calendar, contacts, email and messages integration, plus point of interest searches and real-time traffic. Apps: Music, Podcasts, Beats Radio, iHeartRadio, Spotify, Slacker. Messaging: Messages with listening and dictating. Phone: Native interface to make and return calls. Voice: Siri control of Maps, Phone, Messaging, and Apps. Controls: Touchscreen, knobs, or voice.

Volvo Apple CarPlay — Apple CarPlay

If you are in a position to shell out upwards of NZ$600,000 for the 60^thanniversary Porsche 911 S/T or optional Porsche 911 S/T Heritage, you’ll no doubt want the signature titanium watch that goes with it. That’s how Porsche figures it anyway. Or, if you want the watch you’ll need to get the car. Both the car and the watch are limited to 1963 units, the year the original 911 model broke cover. The watch – Chronograph 1 911 S/T and Chronograph 1 911 S/T Heritage – and the car carry matching edition numbers. The watch is priced at $US13,500, or around $NZ22,200. The car, says Porsche NZ, starts at $NZ608,000. A “strictly limited number” will go into production for NZ early next year.

Eight European Union countries are pushing to weaken new EU emissions limits for cars, saying they are overly ambitious and unrealistic for carmakers to hit. The eight countries – France, Italy, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia – said in a joint paper that parts of the proposed Euro 7 regulation, including curbs on exhaust pipe emissions, should be scrapped entirely. They said the limits would force carmakers to invest in improving exhaust emissions performance, money which would be better spent on developing zero-emission vehicles. Taken together, the countries would have enough votes to block the proposal.

A go-anywhere EV concept for the US military uses an onboard 12kW diesel generator to top up the batteries on the move. The all-wheel-drive has 800-volt technology and a 200kWh battery pack to power three electric motors, two in the rear and one up front. Claimed output is 745kW/15,590Nm, or 1000hp and 11,500 ft-lb of torque. The four-seater was developed by the defence division of General Motors and is based on the platform of the Hummer SUV. It rides on Fox performance shock absorbers and 37-inch tyres and comes with “exceptional” approach and departure angles for off-road mobility. Maximum range using the generator to keep things ticking over is said to be around 500km.

The outside temperature in Midland, Texas, was 40.5C when staff at the local office of the US National Weather Service set out to show the cabin of a closed car can literally get baking hot in summer. They mixed up a batch of chocolate chip cookies and laid them on the car’s dashboard – the surface of which showed a temperature of 87.7C. A little over four hours later the cookies were ready to eat. “Even though ours weren’t golden brown, we can confirm that they are done and delicious,” the staff wrote on Facebook.