Bloomberg: Tesla working to add CarPlay
Mark Gurman of Bloomberg has a pretty good scoop, reporting that Tesla is working to add CarPlay to its vehicles:
The carmaker has started testing the capability internally, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the effort is still private. The CarPlay platform — long supported by other automakers — shows users a version of the iPhone’s software that’s optimized for vehicle infotainment systems. It’s considered a must-have option by many drivers.
Adding CarPlay would mark a stunning reversal for Tesla and Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk, who long ignored pleas to implement the popular feature. Musk has criticized Apple for years, particularly its App Store policies, and was angered by the company’s poaching of his engineers when it set out to build its own car.
With the evaporation of U.S. EV rebates, Elon Musk’s controversial political moves, and a generally stale product line-up, Tesla is facing a sales crisis. Meanwhile, new car buyers very much want CarPlay as an option. Adding CarPlay isn’t quite a cure-all, but it sure couldn’t hurt in giving potential Tesla buyers one less reason to shop elsewhere. (Tesla is not, according to Gurman, interested in anything like CarPlay Ultra—this is straight-up “CarPlay in a window” alongside Tesla’s own interface.)
Gurman says the rollout could happen “in the coming months,” but the plan has not been finalized. Of course, any mercurial executive at Tesla (who could that be?!) could pull the plug at any time. But if this ends up happening, it might be the first sign of car companies realizing that prioritizing their needs over your phone was a big mistake.