Polestar CEO Commits to Continued CarPlay Support: ‘Important for Our Customers to Have the Choice’
While Polestar has taken significant steps to deepen its relationship with Google for in-car infotainment, the company maintains its commitment to CarPlay. In an interview at CES 2024 this week, Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath emphasized the importance of providing customers with options.
Embracing Diversity in In-Car Infotainment
According to Ingenlath, it doesn’t make sense for the company to restrict customers and eliminate the option of CarPlay. His comments were seemingly directed at companies like GM, which is discontinuing CarPlay from its EVs starting this year. He stressed that “it’s still too important for our customers to have the choice.”
Strategic Partnerships with Tech Giants
Ingenlath reiterated that Polestar’s priority is to deliver a fantastic system in collaboration with Google. Although he acknowledged that Google Built-in offers the best experience, he questioned the notion of dogmatically educating customers to favor a single platform.
industry-Wide Support for CarPlay
Thomas Ingenlath’s stance aligns with other auto executives’ promises of ongoing CarPlay support. Notably, leaders from various companies have reaffirmed their commitment to CarPlay, emphasizing the importance of choice for customers. Polestar’s dedication to supporting CarPlay is consistent with its peers in the industry.
Polestar’s Vision for In-Car Infotainment
At CES this year, Polestar revealed its plans to expand its relationship with Google for in-car infotainment systems. Presently, Polestar’s infotainment system runs on Google’s Android Automotive operating system, providing support for Android Auto and CarPlay.
Having experienced the dual-screen CarPlay implementation in the Polestar 2, it’s encouraging to see the company’s commitment to maintaining support for CarPlay alongside its collaboration with Google. However, concerns linger about Polestar’s long-term strategy for in-car infotainment.
Prospects and Challenges Ahead
While the current focus seems to be on building a customized system atop Android Automotive to compete with Android Auto and CarPlay, Polestar’s dedication to CarPlay at present is reassuring. As the company continues to navigate the evolving landscape of in-car technology, the future of its in-car infotainment remains an intriguing prospect.
Source: 9to5mac
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