While automakers like General Motors are starting to look down on Apple CarPlay, Tesla is reportedly working on integrating the system into its vehicles’ software stacks.
Bloomberg reports that the feature is in development, but the effort could be halted before it’s released to the public.
The move would be a dramatic change for automakers. Tesla has avoided requests from current and future customers to add CarPlay functionality to its infotainment systems. Apple CarPlay, like its rival Android Auto, allows drivers to project their smartphone and many of its apps onto the car’s infotainment display. Tesla is focusing on standard CarPlay rather than Apple’s next-generation, more capable version called CarPlay Ultra.
Tesla has added native apps for streaming music services like Apple Music, Spotify, and Tidal instead of CarPlay and Android Auto. As reported by users, the quality of these apps varies. To take advantage of these apps, customers must also subscribe to Tesla’s Premium Connectivity package, which costs $9.99 per month or $99 per year.
The addition of CarPlay could make some drivers who have given up on selling their Teslas reconsider their decision. Half of the drivers McKinsey surveyed a few years ago said they wouldn’t buy a car that didn’t come with CarPlay or Android Auto.
