Toyota finally adopts Apple CarPlay

UPDATED 17/01/2018 10:00am: This article now includes Toyota Australia's response -- see below.

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The bigger, lower, wider, more luxurious 2019 Toyota Avalon made its global debut at the 2018 Detroit motor show this week and the exterior and interior of the new large US-made sedan, which won’t be sold in Australia, wowed the Motown crowd.

One of the car's designers told motoring.com.au you have to include drama to sell a sedan in today's SUV-mad world.

But the bigger story was not the Lexus-like design, but the fact that Toyota has buried the hatchet with Apple – and likely Google soon – after refusing to integrate smartphone mirroring software into its cars.

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Jack Hollis, Toyota North America's group vice-president, told the packed Cobo Hall in Detroit that "Apple CarPlay is finally standard".

Siri could then be heard voicing over the public audio system, "Jack, well done, finally."

His response was flippant, given the acrimonious relationship the two multinational corporations have endured.

"Yeah whatever, whatever, we know, we know, we got it," he snapped back mockingly.

"Hey look, it took us a while folks, people have been asking for it, but it's here and our guests are going to love it," apologised Hollis.

The reason for Toyota's firm anti-Apple stance?

Toyota and Ford have both been holding out on Apple CarPlay and Android Auto due to data collection, which is seen as one of the most important and lucrative facets of the connected car era.

By letting Apple CarPlay track where cars are, record driver habits and understand what they search for and what they buy while in their car, Apple has a new revenue and data stream.

Car companies aren't keen on giving this up, hence Toyota's reluctance to relinquish its infotainment systems to Apple.

Toyota has not yet come to an agreement with Google to make Android Auto compatible with its cars, but the big T said that in the USA at least, Toyota and Lexus vehicles will eventually all have Apple CarPlay functionality going forward.

The Toyota Avalon's new Entune 3.0 infotainment platform, which works on a fancy new 9.0-inch capacitor touch-screen with smartphone-like pinch and flick capability, will now offer Apple CarPlay functions

It's not clear if Toyota will keep control over data gathered from its customers’ cars.

The new Avalon also gets five USB ports, wireless phone charging and a Lexus-like interior fit out, complete with luscious quilted leather seats.

Like the new Camry on which it’s based, the Avalon offers a pair of petrol engines including a 3.5-litre V6 and 2.5-litre four-cylinder in the hybrid model.

The US-built Toyota Avalon won't be offered in Australia. However there is a chance that Apple CarPlay will be offered locally in the future.

"The inclusion of Apple CarPlay is, for now, just for Toyota's sold in North America," Aleks Krajcer, Toyota Australia's public affairs manager, told motoring.com.au.

"As far as CarPlay in Australia is concerned, we have no announcement to make at this point in time about the roll out of this technology. We are however considering its adoption along with other multimedia and connected solutions, as we seek to provide the best product and spec combinations for Australian Toyota buyers."