Volkswagen’s 2016 vehicle lineup will offer support for Apple CarPay and Android Auto. The German-based car maker announced the services are part of the new infotainment platform. Both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto bring the smartphone experience to the car dashboard. It enables users to read and send messages, listen to music, make phone calls, listen to voice mail, and use maps to navigate right on.
Volkswagen also offers customers the choice of Mirrorlink
New VW customers will also have the option to connect their smartphones to their car with Mirrorlink, a similar feature enabling users to access apps on the smartphone while viewing them on the dashboard display and hearing the audio through the speakers. The Mirrorlink app is available on select devices from HTC, LG, Samsung, and Sony.
Last January, Volkswagen first announced plans to roll out the services at the Consumer Electronics Show. The car company also stated it would be moving away from previous attempts at trying to control all connectivity.
Volkswagen America’s CEO Michael Horn added, “As the people’s car brand, we knew that it was important to democratize these technologies across the Volkswagen line-up, with features like App-Connect ensuring that more consumers can integrate their smart devices in a wide range of trims on virtually every model the company sells.”
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come in different unit size options
Buyers can choose from four different head units ranging from 5 inches to 8 inches. Entry level units come with ‘composition color’ which measures 5 inches, 400-by-240 display. The larger ‘composition media’ version features 800-by-480 capacitive touch display. It measures 6.5 inches for Golf family or 6.3 inches for other models.
Higher trim levels come with the ‘Discover Media’ unit boasting 2.5D navigation and one-shot voice destination entry. ‘Discover Pro’ is the top-of-the-line unit that is exclusively available on e-Golf SEL Premium Model.
