Tesla Plans to Add Apple CarPlay to Its Vehicles — Maybe

Tesla is having a problem right now: Its sales are down, and it’s now scrambling to make up for the loss. Combine that with growing Supercharger access for competitors, and the edge that Tesla seems to have had is wearing off. In a surprising move, Tesla is reportedly planning to integrate Apple CarPlay capability into its vehicles, which seems to be a move to help counter those poor sales.

Related: Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto: Where Are They Now?

A Surprising Pivot

According to Bloomberg, Tesla has been working on CarPlay integration with the goal of rolling it out in the next few months. But with this being Tesla, the company could easily reverse course at any time. Tesla’s CarPlay integration is a surprising move considering Elon Musk’s attitude toward Apple, which he has called monopolistic for how it’s treated developers in its App Store and was reportedly angry at for poaching engineers from Tesla so it could work on its own car.

The move shows just how desperate Tesla may be to make up for its sales declines. If Tesla does decide to integrate Apple CarPlay into its vehicles, it could help turn things around. Data from J.D. Power shows that CarPlay remains a top choice for car buyers, so much so that some buyers even base their purchase decisions on whether or not a vehicle is equipped with it; Cars.com’s own data shows that nearly 9 in 10 car shoppers consider it essential.

Adding CarPlay could also be a smart move as other automakers turn away from its integration. With more automakers moving toward software-defined vehicles (a fancy way of saying vehicles that are centered around software rather than physical hardware), Tesla could end up taking buyers from automakers like GM and Rivian. Both automakers have turned their backs on CarPlay for one reason only: to collect owner data in an attempt to drive them toward subscription-based services. GM recently announced that it was removing both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto from all of its future vehicles, while Rivian’s CEO RJ Scaringe said in 2024 that the automaker didn’t want Apple controlling its ecosystem.

There are a couple of downsides that may turn off some CarPlay faithful, however. Those who spoke with Bloomberg said that CarPlay integration wouldn’t fully take over Tesla’s infotainment system like it does in most other vehicles; instead, it’d be relegated to a “window inside its broader interface.” CarPlay also won’t have access to some of Tesla’s popular — and potentially dangerous — features such as Full-Self Driving.

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