When CarPlay was debuted in March of 2014, a variety of automobile manufacturers signed on to support Apple’s in-car offering. One of those launch partners was Honda and despite the manufacturer having promised to support the platform from the beginning, it has yet to release any car model with support for CarPlay. Today, however, Honda announced at an event in Silicon Valley that it will begin shipping cars with support for CarPlay in 2016.
Speaking at the event, Honda’s American Research and Development head Frank Paluch promised that the manufacturer will begin supporting both CarPlay and Google’s Android Auto in their upcoming models. To start with, the 2016 Honda Accord will be the first model to get CarPlay and Android Auto.
Regarding the company’s move to start including CarPlay and Android Auto, Paluch noted that “It’s only the beginning,” implying that the company will expand its support for the platforms beyond a single model. It’s unclear, however, when cars aside from the 2016 Accord will ship with Android Auto and CarPlay onboard.
Apple originally promised CarPlay availability in 2014, although that never truly came to fruition due to a variety of delays. The company currently lists 34 car manufacturers on its CarPlay microsite, as well as three aftermarket solutions. Not all of those 34 manufacturers have actually shipped a CarPlay compatible car yet, however, despite the promises from Apple.
We reviewed CarPlay on an aftermarket Pioneer head unit earlier late last year and noted that while CarPlay has promise, it has more than its fair share of bugs.
