Automotive

Bentley films and edits Mulsanne promo entirely on iPhone 5s and iPad Air

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 15, 2014

Luxury car maker Bentley has commissioned a short documentary film to promote its $300,000 Mulsanne.

The black and white footage was captured entirely on an iPhone 5s and edited in the back of a Mulsanne on an iPad Air outfitted with a thin keyboard attachment.

Entitled 'Intelligent Details' and filmed in the Bentley Mulsanne in New York, the video shows various design aspects of the car before revealing a behind-the-scenes of the entire process of capturing the footage. The team used specialized iPhone lenses and mounts to capture raw material, which was then editer on Apple's tablet in iMovie....

Apple officially endorses CarPlay aftermarket kits by Alpine and Pioneer

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 17, 2014

Apple on March 2 took the wraps off CarPlay, its in-car solution formerly known as iOS in the Car. The company said the feature would premier with only three premium brands - Mercedes-Benz, Volvo and Ferrari - while naming two dozen additional manufacturers who pledged their support for the software.

Outside these launch partners, only Hyundai has thus far gone on the record officially confirming that CarPlay functionality will be available on its new mid-size 2015 Sonata sedan that will be available to buy at dealerships. Toyota initially said it would add CarPlay to select 2015 vehicles, but quickly changed its mind.

Realizing there's money to be made from CarPlay, makers of in-car electronic systems Alpine and Pioneer both announced aftermarket CarPlay kits for older vehicles. We wondered whether these kits were Apple-sanctioned. Looks like we've gotten our answer as the iPhone maker has now added Alpine and Pioneer's upcoming kits to its CarPlay webpage...

Hyundai confirms CarPlay functionality on all-new 2015 Sonatas

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 28, 2017

Japanese car maker Hyundai today officially confirmed that CarPlay functionality will be available in its upcoming 2015 Sonata vehicles. CarPlay launch partners include Volvo, Ferrari and Mercedes-Benz, but many other manufacturers have pledged to support Apple's in-car system later this year, Hyundai being one of them.

The new version of the mid-size Sonata sedan was unveiled at the New York International Auto Show earlier today with premium design, a stiffer body structure, improved ride quality, a quieter cabin and "class-above safety features."

It's slated to hit dealerships early this summer...

Pioneer confirms five aftermarket options bringing CarPlay to older vehicles in early-summer

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 15, 2014

A Pioneer customer service representative yesterday said the company's been looking into the possibility of implementing CarPlay compatibility with both its existing and future products.

Sure enough, the maker of in-car electronic systems today announced five CarPlay aftermarket options.

Chances are you're not rich enough to buy a brand new Ferrari, Mercedes or Volvo just to enjoy CarPlay so these kits will be Godsent to those looking to put CarPlay into older vehicles that officially don't support Apple's in-car system...

Alpine’s upcoming $500-$700 CarPlay aftermarket kits arriving this Fall

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 14, 2014

CarPlay, Apple's in-car system formerly known as iOS in the Car, launched last month requiring an iPhone running iOS 7.1 and one of the compatible 2014 cars from Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari and Volvo. A bunch of other car vendors have promised to bring support for CarPlay to their vehicles throughout 2014, but not everyone is rich enough to buy a brand new car just to enjoy CarPlay.

Pioneer Electronics is reportedly considering rolling out CarPlay aftermarket kits for older vehicles and Mercedes-Benz has similar plans of its own. And now, car electronics manufacturer Alpine is said to offer CarPlay aftermarket kits in the United States and Europe this Fall, with a cost of around $500 to $700...

Microsoft’s own CarPlay is predictably called Windows in the car

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 7, 2014

At the annual Build conference in San Francisco last week, software giant Microsoft unveiled its upcoming new platform for automotive, Windows in the car. The software, which appears to have borrowed some ideas from Apple's CarPlay, could succeed Sync, Microsoft's ill-fated in-car solution running on the Windows Embedded Automotive operating system.

Microsoft's largest partner for Sync, Ford, in February announced plans to stop producing Sync-equipped vehicles. Seeing where things were heading, coupled with weak support from car manufacturers, probably played an important factor in the decision to come up with a connected car software of the future, from scratch...

Toyota says CarPlay coming to 2015 vehicles, then changes its mind

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

You probably know by now that Apple's CarPlay feature in iOS 7.1 has 100 percent guaranteed support from Ferrari, Volvo and Mercedes-Benz in their select 2014 models.

The company also hinted in a media release that BMW Group, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai Motor Company, Jaguar Land Rover, Kia Motors, Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan Motor Company, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Subaru, Suzuki and Toyota Motor Corp will be bringing CarPlay to their drivers "down the road."

It now looks like one of the aforementioned manufacturers, Toyota, may have officially joined the initiative. According to the car maker's original announcement, CarPlay was supposed to be "coming soon" to select 2015 vehicles, but it's quickly backpedalled on the claim without saying when exactly CarPlay will hit the dashboard of its vehicles...

Pioneer exploring aftermarket CarPlay compatibility

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 12, 2014

Apple's CarPlay, a new iOS 7.1 capability designed to integrate select iOS features right into your car's infotainment system, has a major problem on its hands: it's currently hinging on the good will of manufacturers to support it in their future vehicles. Thus far, only Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari and Volvo have confirmed that some of their upcoming 2014 models will support CarPlay.

A bunch of other vendors have hinted they're considering implementing the feature. So, unless I buy a brand new car with CarPlay integration, I'll be left out in the cold, right?

Not so fast.

For starters, Mercedez-Benz has decided to cater to owners of unsupported vehicles by promising aftermarket CarPlay upgrades as a dealer installed accessory for select previous models.

But what about CarPlay in unsupported cars? That's where Pioneer Electronic jumps in. The maker of many in-car electronic systems, Pioneer's reportedly exploring the possibility of adding CarPlay compatibility to its existing and future products...

Mercedes-Benz hints at CarPlay aftermarket upgrades for older vehicles

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 6, 2014

I immediately noticed writing about Apple's CarPlay that our commenters have been wondering whether this new feature that basically puts iOS in the car front and center would be available for older vehicles.

Turns out this just might be a possibility because Mercedes-Benz, one of Apple's launch partners for CarPlay, has now officially confirmed that it is working on aftermarket installations for older vehicles.

Jordan Kahn of 9to5Mac was able to confirm with a Mercedes-Benz representative that the car maker is looking into getting an “an after-market solution for previous cars”, confirming the option should become available by the end of the year...

Ferrari shows off CarPlay integration with last-century resistive touchscreen tech

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 18, 2016

Following Volvo and Mercedes-Benz video tours of Apple's newly announced in-car system dubbed CarPlay (formerly iOS in the Car), Apple's third launch partner - the Italian sports car maker Ferrari - today showcased the technology at the Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland.

Apple has even dispatched its VP of iPhone and iOS Product Marketing, Greg Joswiak, to help launch the new Ferrari FF with CarPlay. Unfortunately, the car manufacturer has made a terrible decision outfitting the Ferrari FF with a resistive touchscreen that requires users to press firmly to register touches...

Mercedes-Benz posts CarPlay video tour showcasing real-world Siri integration

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 4, 2014

After Volvo yesterday posted a nice hands-on video highlighting Apple's newly launched in-car system dubbed CarPlay (previously known as iOS in the Car), Mercedes-Benz (one of the three CarPlay launch partners) has posted a video tour of its own which gives us a hands-on demo of CarPlay in its new C-Class and showcases real-world Siri integration.

The clip depicts a driver using Siri to get visual directions with a little help from Apple Maps and using a dedicated hardware button to interact with Apple's smart voice assistant. As previously stated, CarPlay does not allow for third-party mapping apps such as Google Maps...

Apple’s CarPlay is powered by BlackBerry’s QNX

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 4, 2014

Monday, at the Geneva Motor Show, Apple's in-car system previously known under the 'iOS in the Car' moniker got formally announced and rebranded as CarPlay. Launch partners Volvo, Ferrari, and Mercedez-Benz backed the feature as dozens of vendors pledged to support CarPlay in their upcoming vehicles later this year.

Volvo confirmed that CarPlay's connection and video mirroring functionality is based on a streaming H.264 video feed, prompting watchers to speculate that the feature is based on AirPlay, an Apple-designed media streaming technology.

In a rather surprising find earlier today, N4BB was able to confirm that CarPlay runs on QNX, an operating system the embattled Canadian smartphone maker BlackBerry acquired Harman International Industries back in 2010...