Apple's next-generation CarPlay experience is still nowhere to be seen following Porsche's announcement of a major upgrade of its infotainment system for 2026.
The upcoming 2026 model year Porsche Taycan, 911, Panamera, and Cayenne feature an upgraded version of the Porsche Communication Management (PCM) system, making it more responsive, adding Dolby Atmos support, and integrating Amazon's Alexa voice assistant. The new system brings the Porsche App Center, a kind of app store for the vehicle, to all of the new models.
It continues to support the standard version of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Support for Apple's next-generation CarPlay experience is again conspicuously missing from Porsche's new lineup, and the automaker did not mention it at all during its latest announcement—another bleak sign for the delayed feature.
Next-generation CarPlay will have deeper integration with a vehicle's instrument cluster, climate controls, FM radio, and more. It will also support multiple displays across the dashboard, and offer widgets for apps like Calendar and Weather. In addition, next-generation CarPlay will be highly customizable, allowing automakers to tailor the design of the system to match their vehicles.
Apple first previewed next-generation CarPlay at WWDC 2022. Until the end of last year, Apple's website said that the first vehicles with next-generation CarPlay support would "arrive in 2024," but this did not occur.
Aston Martin and Porsche previewed next-generation CarPlay vehicle designs in late 2023, but neither automaker has announced any vehicles with support for it. Apple continued to highlight next-generation CarPlay in WWDC 2024 coding sessions for developers and it shared a statement in January reiterating its commitment to the feature.
When it unveiled next-generation CarPlay in 2022, Apple said committed automakers included Acura, Audi, Ford, Honda, Infiniti, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Polestar, Porsche, Renault, and Volvo. Nearly three years have gone by since Apple shared that list, however, so it is unclear if it remains entirely accurate.
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