MAC ROUMORS

Toyota today is introducing its all-new 2019 Avalon at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, and MacRumors has confirmed it is the automaker’s first vehicle with support for Apple’s CarPlay.

In addition to the Avalon, Toyota plans to expand CarPlay compatibility to its other 2019 model year vehicles and beyond with its Entune 3.0 multimedia system, according to Toyota spokesperson Brian Lyons. Toyota said CarPlay will initially be available in vehicles sold in the United States only.

Entune 3.0 is already included with the 2018 Camry and 2018 Sienna, so CarPlay should be available in 2019 models of those vehicles at the very least. Toyota plans to provide us with more availability details soon.

We’ve asked Toyota if its CarPlay implementation will be wireless, and whether it will be a standard feature or an upgrade option. We’ve also inquired about CarPlay compatibility with Lexus, the luxury vehicle division of Toyota. We’ll update this article if and when we learn any additional information.

Entune 3.0 will also be compatible with Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant in the United States, as Toyota announced at CES 2018 last week, but it’s unclear if Google’s Android Auto platform will be supported.

Toyota often competes for the title of world’s largest automaker, and it was by far the most notable brand to not support CarPlay until now, lagging months or years behind competitors like Ford, General Motors, Fiat Chrysler, BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, and Volkswagen.

A recent survey indicated that an increasing number of customers consider CarPlay a must-have feature, so Toyota’s support for Apple’s software platform should benefit both new vehicle buyers and its bottom line.

Below is a list of some of the other new vehicles with CarPlay support debuting at the auto show this week:

Apple periodically updates a list of over 200 vehicle makes and models available with CarPlay on its website.

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Source: MAC ROUMORS