Tesla working to add CarPlay to its infotainment system

CarPlay has been a top request from Tesla owners for years now, and it looks like the automaker is finally going to address it.

New report from Bloomberg claims Tesla has begun testing the feature among employees, suggesting it could soon be available to the rest of the world. If so, it would contradict previous comments from Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who said Tesla's infotainment system is good enough that they don't need CarPlay.

The report indicates that it could be released in the coming months, but an official launch plan has not yet been set, so the date may be pushed back. Plus, there's always the Elon factor, which adds a little wildcard element to everything Tesla does. So maybe it won't be released at all.

The report says that if/when it comes out, it will run within a window of Tesla's existing software. This is similar to how it works in Ford vehicles and older GM models before that automaker stopped supporting phone projection systems. This version is also the regular CarPlay mode rather than the newer one. CarPlay Ultra is available in the latest Aston Martin. However, Wireless CarPlay support is planned.

However, since this is a long-requested feature and Tesla is no longer the king of electric vehicles it once was, I'm guessing it should offer more perks than in the past, and CarPlay is a great feature that really appeals to a lot of non-tech savvy people. So, since Tesla is looking to reach more people than the early adopter audience, I think this will help a lot.

A recent survey conducted McKinsey and Co. indicates that a third of buyers consider lack of access to CarPlay or Android Auto a deal breaker. Although this number is not as high as I expected, I believe it will grow over time. I also expect that CarPlay/Android Auto, while not a deal breaker for everyone, will be a welcome benefit.

Source: Bloomberg