CES 2015: Volkswagen Adding CarPlay Support in Late 2015

Car manufacturer Volkswagen today revealed that it would add support for CarPlay and Android Auto to its vehicles at the end of the year, bringing Apple's in-car experience to the popular car brand. It'll debut alongside VW's new in-car infotainment system, referred to as MIB II.

connected_golf_4485

Later this year, VW will introduce the second generation "modular infotainment platform" (MIB II) in the United States. Along with the new infotainment system, MirrorLink™ will also be made available for the first time, integrating the apps and operating layout of numerous smartphones (including Samsung, HTC, LG and Sony) into cars. When MirrorLink™ is introduced, two other interfaces will also be launched under the App-Connect label: CarPlay™ (Apple®) and Android Auto™ (Google®). Simultaneously, VW will also launch CarPlay™ and Android Auto™ in the European market.

When CarPlay was first announced, Volkswagen was one of the few major car brands not involved. The company isn't listed on Apple's CarPlay partners page on its website either. However, the CarPlay integration debuting alongside VW's new infotainment system indicates the German manufacturer may have been waiting until it sorted out the future of its in-car technology before committing to Apple's.

While VW cars in both Europe and North America will get CarPlay support in late 2015, it's unknown how much VW's new infotainment system will cost.

Related Roundup: CarPlay

Popular Stories

iphone 16 apple intelligence

Apple Aiming to Release 'Breakthrough' New iPhone Accessory

Wednesday February 18, 2026 12:43 pm PST by
Apple is looking for a "breakthrough" with its push into wearable AI devices, including an "AirTag-sized pendant," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In a report this week, he said the pendant is reminiscent of the failed Humane AI Pin, but it would be an iPhone accessory rather than a standalone product. The pendant would feature an "always-on" camera and a microphone for Siri voice...
iphone 17 pro green

iPhone 17 Pro Max Curiously Becomes Most Traded-In Smartphone

Wednesday February 18, 2026 9:13 am PST by
New trade-in data indicates that Apple's iPhone 17 Pro Max has rapidly become the single most traded-in smartphone. According to a new report from SellCell, Apple's latest flagship iPhone has quickly risen to the top of the independent trade-in market, accounting for 11.5% of all devices appearing in the top-20 trade-in rankings just months after release. The analysis is based on SellCell...
Multicolored Low Cost A18 Pro MacBook Feature

Low-Cost MacBook Expected on March 4 in These Colors

Wednesday February 18, 2026 5:42 am PST by
Apple will announce its rumored low-cost MacBook at its event on March 4, with the device coming in a selection of bold color options, according to a known leaker. Earlier this week, Apple announced a "special Apple Experience" for the media in New York, London, and Shanghai, taking place on March 4, 2026 at 9:00am ET. Posting on Weibo, the leaker known as "Instant Digital" said that the...
CarPlay Liquid Glass Dark

iOS 26.4's New CarPlay Video Feature Shown in Action

Wednesday February 18, 2026 9:29 am PST by
Back at WWDC 2025, Apple revealed that it was planning to allow CarPlay users to watch video via AirPlay in their vehicles while they are not driving, and the first beta of iOS 26.4 suggests the feature may be nearing availability. There are several new references to CarPlay video streaming functionality within the iOS 26.4 beta's source code. The feature is not yet visible to users, but...
Dynamic Island iPhone 18 Pro Feature

10 Reasons to Wait for Apple's iPhone 18 Pro

Wednesday February 18, 2026 5:12 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...

Top Rated Comments

145 months ago
Hopfully VW doesn't price this system out of contention for most people. CarPlay/AndroidAuto will be a bullet feature that is par for the course in a short 2-3 years. I hope VW understands this and doesn't position this feature in premium packages only. This feature should be included in every trim within a year.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacOG728893 Avatar
145 months ago
My Passat has passed your reliability test...

Volkswagens are hardly known for their unreliability.

It's cliche, but take care of your car and it'll take care of you. My 2007 Passat is still going strong. I've gotten all scheduled maintenance and no problems thus far. Only 45K miles on this sucker though!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
venom600 Avatar
145 months ago
For those of us VW owners thinking about retrofitting this, it should be possible. However, previous high end head units (like the RNS510) were well over a thousand dollars, so you may want to seriously think about how much this functionality is worth to you.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ikramerica Avatar
145 months ago
Hopefully others will follow VW and embrace all interfaces rather than locking into one. These aren't the days of having a Mercedes specific Startac phone as a $600 option. There is no reason Android auto, CarPlay, and the other competing interfaces can't corxist in one head unit considering the interfaces are platform agnostic.
I'll be getting my 2015 Touareg before this integration but I'm not really interested in in car apps and like the RNS system in the top VW so it's no loss, but my wife might get a VW after her Mazda lease is up and this should be available by then.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
thelonelylimo Avatar
145 months ago
*removed*
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)