Acura, Jeep & Hyundai intro new Apple CarPlay-ready vehicles

Joining Lincoln, three more auto brands — Acura, Jeep, and Hyundai — have unveiled CarPlay-equipped vehicles ahead of this weekend's New York International Auto Show.

The most notable announcement may be Acura's 2018 TLX, which will actually use a dual-screen interface also supporting Android Auto. The main point of interaction will be a 7-inch capacitive display.

Acura's proprietary software has been reorganized and streamlined, and is said to be about 30 percent faster than a previous incarnation. The car should go on sale in the U.S. in June, though pricing has yet to be revealed.

Jeep's entry is the 2018 Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, which will come with CarPlay and Android Auto standard, connecting to an 8.4-inch touchscreen. Like the TLX no prices have been shared, but it should go on sale in the fourth quarter.

Finally, Hyundai's 2018 Sonata will sport a standard 7-inch touchscreen, again compatible with both CarPlay and Android Auto. No cost or release information is available.

CarPlay is gradually becoming a de facto infotainment standard on new vehicles. While support is still often reserved for mid-range and high-end models, automakers like Ford and Chevrolet are beginning to offer it on cheaper cars within range of the average buyer.

4 Comments

Soli 9981 comments · 9 Years

About 7 years ago

The Lincoln Navigator looks great, but I hate that bolted-on, afterthought appearance of their touchscreen.

macxpress 5910 comments · 16 Years

I'll take the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk in a half a heartbeat.

k2kw 2079 comments · 11 Years

Is CarPlay any good if it depends on SIRI?

k2kw said:

Is CarPlay any good if it depends on SIRI?

Siri isn't the problem, the microphones are. I know this because I've had an Amazon Echo for two years and can't stop raving about how brilliant it is. It's clearly not as smart as Siri, but the far-field microphones work so well that they understand what I'm saying, even when in another room, over music playing, and mumbling, as is common before I've had my coffee.

I then bought an Amazon Echo Dot (2nd gen) for my room to use an alarm clock. I know have to enunciate more for it to understand what I'm saying. While the Dot is much smaller than the Echo, it's much larger than the iPhone and does come with the far-field technologies.

This tells me, that Siri's issues are likely around how it hears, not how it thinks.

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