Volkswagen claims Apple blocked its CES 2016 demo of wireless CarPlay

By John Callaham
published

Volkswagen has started building in support for Apple's CarPlay technology in some of its vehicles. However, the car maker said this week that a planned demo of wireless CarPlay support during CES 2016 was blocked by Apple for unnamed reasons.

According to Car and Driver:

"We wanted to demonstrate wireless CarPlay and the owner of CarPlay technology didn't allow us to," Volkmar Tannerberger, head of electrical and electronic development at Volkswagen, told Car and Driver.

The article points out that iOS 9 does allow for wireless connections from an iPhone to a CarPlay-based vehicle. However, there are no cars that can support that feature yet.

Source: Car and Driver

John Callaham
John Callaham

I have been writing professionally about technology and gaming news for 14 years.

10 Comments
  • I'm gonna guess that Apple didn't want Volkswagen, of all car makers, to be the first one demoing wireless CarPlay... not a good brand to be associated with right now.
  • That's just snobbery. I doubt that's a reason.
  • Speculation. Foxconn builds iphones and Apple is associated with it, and Foxconn had to install anti-suicide nets. But, maybe you're right.
  • We should all believe the VW exec right? They are generally honest, reliable people who seem to have a grasp of what is exactly going on with their vehicles. Amirite?
  • Good point. Every word spoken from any person that works at VW from this day forward...is a lie.
  •   I even make good cars like VW.
  • I would think Apple is just being Apple; they want control of the marketing of its own products, not someone else. Sent from the iMore App
  • If true, then Apple has every right to pick the company and time to reveal a new feature. This may be something that was being held for WWDC? Sent from the iMore App
  • Happy for someone to say otherwise but Apple released the functionality when IOS 9 was released, so it's not like VW were going to demonstrate anything we didn't know existed. I'm sad to say it does sound like it was just that they didn't want the association with VW. Shame really, as although VW lied (they won't be the only one) the Cars they produce are anongest the cleanest out there. Seek out a University of Leeds report about actual real life tailpipe emissions if your interested.
  • Guy, that is just not true. Particularly in regards to this particular VW situation. You may be thinking of VW's gasoline combustion engines, but as for diesel vehicles, which is what the entire scandal is about, they have always been one of the dirtiest mass-produced diesel passenger vehicles, at least in the US market. That is telling, considering the US has some of the strictest regulations regarding passenger vehicle emissions. That cannot be said about many other nations where little to no NOx regulations exist & where you will find the same models WITHOUT the catalytic scrubbers. Some of the vehicles independently tested have exceeded their published emissions levels by 2000% & more.