Volkswagen To Add Android Auto, CarPlay in 2015

With the Consumer Electronics Show underway this week in Las Vegas numerous automotive innovations will be exhibited. For some automakers that means infotainment and for Volkswagen, that means the announcement that they will be adding Android Audio and Car Play to their latest in-car tech offerings.

In addition, they will add “mirror link” which will add increased compatibility with non-Apple or Android phones. This will all be possible because of the addition of the modular infotainment platform (MIB II) in 2015. With the new in-dash technology in place, Volkswagen drivers will be able to use the increasingly poplar Apple and Android technology.

Carplay from Apple and Android Auto from Google will give VW owners the chance to integrate their smartphone into their infotainment experience. As we reported during 2014, the direction of vehicle infotainment seemed to be moving more towards adaptable, phone-based mediums. The change was needed. Vehicle infotainment systems have a history of being difficult to use and very quick to become outdated and clumsy. This wouldn’t have been a major issue if it could have been easily updated; however that wasn’t usually the case.

The difference between updating a big piece of electronics in the dash of your vehicle and changing out your cell phone is fairly large. Enter the in-car tech revolution. Automakers have grown more and more welcoming to the idea of providing a platform and allowing ever evolving cell phones to fill the void. Consumers are now able to easily plug in their cell phone once they enter into a vehicle and have access to the basic features of their device. They can get access to their music, take phone calls and navigate the road via GPS from the familiar base station of their smart phone.

Clearly, automakers are making infotainment a priority. They are investing millions to make their vehicles more attractive to the modern on-the-go consumer of 2015. The question is, what are you doing to train your staff on infotainment systems as they arrive? If a customer really wants to know how it works, can the sales team easily explain it? How important is this type of constant training at your store?