Following in the footsteps of Alpine and Pioneer, Kenwood today at CES 2019 introduced its first in-car multimedia receivers with wireless CarPlay.

kenwood carplay
Kenwood is offering seven new receivers with wireless CarPlay support, many of which are part of its eXcelon series. The model numbers include NX996XR, DDX9906XR, DDX8906S, DMX906S, DNR876S, DDX8706S, and DMX9706S.

Wireless CarPlay enables drivers to connect an iPhone to the receiver via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, whereas most factory-installed CarPlay receivers still require connecting an iPhone with a Lightning to USB cable to access CarPlay functionality. BMW does offer wireless CarPlay and Mercedes-Benz said it plans to as well.

The new Kenwood receivers also feature wireless Android Auto and Google Assistant, according to the car entertainment company.

CarPlay is Apple's in-car software that enables iPhone users to access a range of apps from a vehicle's dashboard display, such as Messages, Apple Maps, Apple Music, Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, SiriusXM Radio, Pandora, WhatsApp, Downcast, Slacker Radio, Stitcher, and as of iOS 12, Google Maps and Waze.

Pricing and availability were not disclosed.

Update: JVC, part of the same company as Kenwood, has also introduced two wireless CarPlay receivers for $600 to $700 in the United States.

Related Roundup: CarPlay
Tags: Kenwood, Wireless CarPlay, CES 2019
Related Forum: HomePod, HomeKit, CarPlay, Home & Auto Technology

Top Rated Comments

PrinceRob425 Avatar
PrinceRob425
55 months ago
Why do people want wireless CarPlay? The sound quality and connection quality immediately drops. It really doesn’t make sense.
Doesn’t matter...people want options.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jeff275 Avatar
jeff275
55 months ago
Why do people want wireless CarPlay? The sound quality and connection quality immediately drops. It really doesn’t make sense.
Convenience.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
XTOTHEL Avatar
XTOTHEL
55 months ago
I want wireless carplay because a lot of cars have built-in wireless charging as an option nowadays. What's the point of wireless charging if I have to plug it in anyways?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tobefirst ⚽️ Avatar
tobefirst ⚽️
55 months ago
I don’t see the point in wireless either, if I go on a longish car journey with maps and music on I end up at my destination with a flat battery unable to take photos...
Do you only go on longish car journeys? Ever go on shorter ones where you want to listen to your music or have maps pulled up for traffic?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Xofer Avatar
Xofer
53 months ago
Why do people want wireless CarPlay? The sound quality and connection quality immediately drops. It really doesn’t make sense.
It really does not make sense at all to plug in your phone when you need to do 10 short trips a day.

Also - what drops? Wifi has more than enough bandwidth for any digital audio content. And what “connection quality”?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RyanFromQA Avatar
RyanFromQA
55 months ago
Convenience.
This. I’d love to keep my phone in my pocket instead of having it rattle around my dash cubby or have to mount it, which is the whole point of CarPlay.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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