Mercedes-Benz will not allow Apple CarPlay to take over all its screens

Mercedes-Benz has no plans to adopt Apple’s immersive, next-generation version of CarPlay, the German automaker’s CEO said in an episode of Decoder.

“The short answer is no,” said Ola Källenius On the edgeNilay Patel of Mercedes-Benz in response to a question about whether Mercedes-Benz will allow Apple CarPlay to take control of all screens inside its vehicles. Instead, he touts the need for a “holistic software architecture” to meet the needs of customers who are increasingly seeking a better technological experience in their vehicles.

Apple announced its next-generation version of CarPlay, in which the phone’s mirroring feature would extend beyond the central touchscreen to also include additional screens like the gauge cluster, in 2022. It was a bold move, with Apple signaling your desire to control key vehicle functions such as HVAC as well as the speedometer and odometer. But since then, the new CarPlay has yet to appear in any production models. Last year, it said Porsche and Aston Martin would be among the first companies to adopt the new immersive display.

But Mercedes doesn’t seem to be in a rush to follow its luxury vehicle peers, allowing Apple to dominate its customers’ automotive experience. Instead, Källenius said the company is working closely with Apple’s main rival, Google, on designing a new navigation feature that will be based on Google Maps. The main difference is that Mercedes’ own engineering team will be heavily involved in the process.

“I fundamentally believe that the best holistic customer experience is delivered by us and we will serve you,” he said during the interview.

But Källenius said he still sees value in offering phone mirroring services to his customers and has no plans to phase out their use – despite some in the auto industry moving away from them. Last year, General Motors made the controversial decision to ban Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in its upcoming line of electric vehicles, arguing that the company could provide a more comprehensive software experience than what exists on someone’s phone.

“We are not fundamentalists in saying for some reason that we will not allow a customer to use Apple CarPlay if that is what they decide to do,” Källenius said. “So we have Apple CarPlay. We have Android Auto. If for some of the roles you feel more comfortable with that and switch, feel free. You can achieve this too.

At the end of the response, he reiterated his position that Apple’s next-generation CarPlay was a bridge too far for Mercedes. “To hand over the entire main cabin unit – in our case, a passenger screen – and everything else to someone else, the answer is no.”