Hyundai Launching CarPlay in Sonata in First Quarter of 2016

2016-Hyundai-Sonata-CarPlayHyundai has confirmed that CarPlay will launch in the 2016 Sonata in the first quarter of next year, per the Detroit Free Press. The carmaker will reportedly sell an SD card with new software to get the system for an undisclosed price.

The report does not specify if CarPlay will be available in 2016 Sonata models sold outside of the United States, or if Apple's in-dash software will be backwards compatible with the 2015 Sonata. The carmaker has not yet outlined plans to bring CarPlay to the rest of its vehicle lineup.

In April 2014, Hyundai announced that CarPlay would be available in the Sonata beginning in the 2015 model year, but it failed to deliver on that promise. CarPlay is only now beginning to experience wider U.S. adoption in 2016 vehicles from General Motors, Volkswagen, Honda and other automakers, as either a standard feature or entertainment package upgrade.

CarPlay provides hands-free or eyes-free access to Maps, Phone, Messages, Music, Podcasts and third-party apps including Spotify, Rdio, iHeartRadio, CBS Radio and MLB At Bat. The platform uses Siri and interfaces with your vehicle's knobs, dials and buttons for safer access to common iPhone features. The software is compatible with iPhone 5 or later running iOS 8 or above.

Related Roundup: CarPlay

Popular Stories

WWDC25 Live Coverage Feature 1

WWDC 2025 Apple Event Live Keynote Coverage: iOS 26, macOS Tahoe, and More

Monday June 9, 2025 9:00 am PDT by
Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) starts today with the traditional keynote kicking things off at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. MacRumors is on hand for the event and we'll be sharing details and our thoughts throughout the day. We're expecting to see a number of software-related announcements led by a design revamp across Apple's platforms that will also see the numbering of all of...
maxresdefault

Everything Apple Announced at WWDC 2025 in 9 Minutes

Monday June 9, 2025 5:21 pm PDT by
At today's WWDC 2025 keynote event, Apple unveiled a new design that will inform the next decade of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS development, so needless to say, it was a busy day. Apple also unveiled a ton of new features for the iPhone, an overhauled Spotlight interface for the Mac, and a ton of updates that make the iPad more like a Mac than ever before. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel ...
liquid glass

Apple Announces All-New 'Liquid Glass' Software Redesign Across iOS 26 and More

Monday June 9, 2025 10:13 am PDT by
Apple today announced a complete redesign of all of its major software platforms called "Liquid Glass." Announced simultaneously for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, visionOS, and CarPlay, Liquid Glass forms a new universal design language for the first time. At its WWDC 2025 keynote address, Apple's software chief Craig Federighi said "Apple Silicon has become dramatically more powerful...
iPadOS 26 Apple Newsroom

Apple Says iPadOS 26 is Compatible With These iPad Models

Monday June 9, 2025 11:22 am PDT by
Apple today announced that iPadOS 26 will be compatible with the iPad models listed below. iPadOS 26 features a new Liquid Glass design, a menu bar, improved app windowing, and more. iPadOS 26 supports the following iPad models:iPad Pro (M4) iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation and later) iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation and later) iPad Air (M2 and later) iPad Air (3rd generation and...
iPhone Car Key WWDC 2025

Apple Says These 13 Vehicle Brands Will Soon Offer iPhone Car Keys

Monday June 9, 2025 2:38 pm PDT by
In 2020, Apple added a digital car key feature to its Wallet app, allowing users to lock, unlock, and start a compatible vehicle with an iPhone or Apple Watch. The feature is currently offered by select automakers, including Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and a handful of others, and it is set to expand further. During its WWDC 2025 keynote today, Apple said that 13...
Apple WWDC25 iOS 26 hero 250609

Apple Announces iOS 26 With 'Liquid Glass' Design, Live Translation, Overhauled Phone App, and More

Monday June 9, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
Apple at WWDC announced iOS 26, introducing a comprehensive visual redesign built around its new "Liquid Glass" concept, alongside expanded Apple Intelligence capabilities, updates to core communication apps, and more. Liquid Glass is a translucent material that reflects and refracts surroundings to create dynamic, responsive interface elements, according to Apple. The new design language...

Top Rated Comments

solipsism Avatar
123 months ago
Even with a cheap car like a Hyundai that's good to see they are being implemented with CarPlay rather than upscale quality cars only.
Cheap? The Hyundai Equus starts at $61,500 USD, and the Sonata starts over $20k and goes up considerably after that. It's inexpensive for the amount of car and features you get compared to German automakers, but these aren't cheap, budget vehicles. If you mean

* https://www.hyundaiusa.com/equus/
* https://www.hyundaiusa.com/sonata/
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
69Mustang Avatar
123 months ago
Cheap? The Hyundai Equus starts at $61,500 USD, and the Sonata starts over $20k and goes up considerably after that. It's inexpensive for the amount of car and features you get compared to German automakers, but these aren't cheap, budget vehicles. If you mean


* https://www.hyundaiusa.com/equus/
* https://www.hyundaiusa.com/sonata/

I think Henry meant cheap as in inexpensive. To that end, Hyundai does sell 4 vehicles from $15K-$18K. That's cheap. Using the Equus as a retort is sort of like using a Toureg as an example of VW not selling cheap cars when the Jetta is right there.


Even with a cheap car like a Hyundai that's good to see they are being implemented with CarPlay rather than upscale quality cars only.
Agreed. Offering it throughout model and manufacturer lineups increases the chances of adoption.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
solipsism Avatar
123 months ago
I think Henry meant cheap as in inexpensive. To that end, Hyundai does sell 4 vehicles from $15K-$18K. That's cheap. Using the Equus as a retort is sort of like using a Toureg as an example of VW not selling cheap cars when the Jetta is right there.
For their class, they are inexpensive, but Hyundai the brand, which is how he framed it, isn't some inexpensive brand. I also noted the Sonata. If that's Henry's measure, then all major automotive makers have inexpensive cars.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bstpierre Avatar
123 months ago
Even a conversation with someone in the car reduces your reaction time. If one pays attention, they will notice that they will look at the front seat passenger in which the are talking to from time to time. With hands-free there is nothing but the road and instrument panel that needs to be looked at it, so one could argue that talking to someone in a car is potentially slightly more dangerous.

But even those that take personal precautions, also need to be aware of how others might reaction around them. I can't wait until autonomous driving removes a most of the major accidents on the road.
One advantage of having the conversation in the car versus over the phone is that you have another set of eyes on the road and the other person in the conversation can tell when it is a good time to stop talking so the driver can complete a more demanding maneuver.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Iconoclysm Avatar
123 months ago
I've tested several vehicles and aftermarket infotainment head units with varying results. A couple of the earlier ones were just so slow respond that even as an iOS user I would have rather used their default system and control my iPhone the old fashion way.

I've never tried testing via the wireless option, but except for very short drives where taking your iPhone out of your pocket to charge whilst driving is too much of an inconvenience, I don't see that getting often, which makes it a back-burner concern.

PS: Are there any automobiles that are yet using capacitance, IPS panels on their head units?
The Volvo XC90 has a capacitive and infrared panel, the infrared allows the screen to work with gloves on.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HenryDJP Avatar
123 months ago



As shown, they have a wide range of prices and vehicles, like most other major car manufacturers, despite your opinion that they only sell "affordable" cars.
Regardless of the "wide range of prices" Hyundai offers, what I stated was fact and not an opinion. Hyundai is generally known as an affordable car from a Korean manufacturer and they are not plastered in people's heads as being in the same league as most other high-end cars. And please learn to read posts because I never said, "Hyundai ONLY SELLS affordable cars".
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)