Apple has used the forthcoming Geneva Motor Show to reveal CarPlay, a service that had previously been branded as ‘iOS in the Car’.
Drivers with CarPlay integration in their cars will be able to control an iPhone by pressing a voice control button on the steering wheel or using the car’s own multimedia interface.
Options include making and receiving calls, using Apple Maps, listening to music and checking messages.
Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo are all due to demonstrate CarPlay this week, with Honda, Hyundai and Jaguar also expected to launch CarPlay-compatible models this year. Other brands that have committed to the scheme include BMW, Citroën, Ford, General Motors, Land Rover, Kia, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Peugeot , Subaru, Suzuki and Toyota.
Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of iPhone and iOS Product Marketing, said “CarPlay has been designed from the ground up to provide drivers with an incredible experience using their iPhone in the car. iPhone users always want their content at their fingertips and CarPlay lets drivers use their iPhone in the car with minimized distraction. We have an amazing lineup of auto partners rolling out CarPlay, and we’re thrilled it will make its debut this week in Geneva.”
Apple CarPlay is being made available as an update to iOS 7. It works with iPhones that have a ‘Lightning’ connector, including the iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c and iPhone 5, with the first compatible vehicles expected to go on sale this year.
Last week’s Mobile World Congress saw a number of car-related announcements, including plans by PSA Peugeot Citroën to support the Car Connectivity Consortium’s MirrorLink standard on two vehicles at the 2014 Geneva International Motor Show.