By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla
Connected car solutions are coming to market this year and mostly on brand new models. Some companies are seeing an opportunity creating products for older cars.
Hot new connected car solutions are coming to newer models. Whether it’s Apple’s extension of their iOS ecosystem and functionality through CarPlay or Google’s nascent Android Auto system, chances are anyone snapping up a 2016 model vehicle later this year will have to choose which system to consider.
Carmakers are rushing to outfit their newer models with the latest smart technology including built-in GPS, communications, music playback, apps and voice assistants.
Connected car features can be the biggest add-ons to up sell the value of new cars and are likely to be as important as fuel efficiency, safety and performance features.
But what of the millions of drivers who are perfectly happy with their daily drivers and who maybe want to get the latest in infotainment and connectivity in an older car that they already own.
In our family, we have a cherished 1996 Volkswagen Cabrio as well as a 2003 Volkswagen Jetta. These cars aren’t new, but they’ve served us reliably for many years and we’re not looking to replace them anytime soon. I do want to upgrade them so that their infotainment options are more current, so I looked around.
The reality is that it is still early days for both CarPlay and Android Auto.
Aside from demos given by Apple and Google, I haven’t experienced or seen the technologies in the wild. Most of the new cars I’ve used or rented have proprietary infotainment and navigation features which aren’t very good.
The user interface, responsiveness, graphics as well as the overall experience on many of these in-car systems often falls short.
There also aren’t that many connected car aftermarket solutions available right now. Kenwood, Pioneer, Alpine and most specially Parrot each have models that can be ported into most vehicles. Pioneer started the trend late last year with Apple CarPlay compatible infotainment systems but is now also offering Android Auto compatible models.
Parrot and Kenwood are going a step further by making their car infotainment products cross-platform compatible, which means they can work with either CarPlay or Android Auto depending on user’s preference. This approach is more open as well as more realistic since vehicle owners or drivers may opt to change smartphones (and as a result, smartphone operating systems) in the future and so their car system should seamlessly adapt to their preferences.
Pricing for these devices starts at around $700 and can go up to $1500 plus installation fees. While the pricing is high, they do add a lot of features and connectivity that make using smartphones in cars a lot better. I think of the cost of investing in these car infotainment systems just like getting another smartphone, but this time for your car.
As Android Auto and CarPlay continue to evolve and more models supporting their devices come to market, we’ll have more competition and more choice to upgrade our older vehicles.
