Sonata

While Hyundai was one of the first major car brands to promise CarPlay in its vehicles as a selling point nearly two years ago, the automaker so far hasn’t actually shipped the update to add the feature it promised to customers. Compare that to Pioneer’s CarPlay support announced around the same time which brought the iPhone-based infotainment feature to all cars through aftermarket displays in 2014.

There may be some good news for Hyundai fans still waiting to test drive CarPlay, however, as USA Today reports that Hyundai is committing to rolling out an update to add the feature early next year.

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Hyundai announced today at the New York International Auto Show its 2015 Sonata will be the first of its vehicles to feature Apple’s new CarPlay technology bringing phone, messaging, music, and navigation functionality from the iPhone to the in-dash display through iOS and Siri. Apple rebranded its iOS in the Car feature announced at WWDC in 2013 as CarPlay earlier this year with a number of committed partners including Hyundai, and today’s announcement by the automative manufacturer is the first unveiling of its official plans to bring CarPlay to market with its brand.

Hyundai says its 2015 Sonata will be available at dealerships in early summer this year. While pricing and availability specifics have yet to be unveiled, Hyundai’s CarPlay offering is expected to be considerably more affordable than other brands partnered including Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, and Volvo.

The news comes just one day after Pioneer official announced it will bring CarPlay to a number of its existing 2014 in-dash systems through a firmware update. Ford, Toyota, and other automotive manufacturers are expected to unveil new products at the auto show as it continues through the month, although Honda is the only partner committed to CarPlay in 2014 (per Apple’s CarPlay site) without a compatible car announced.

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