Big if True: Tesla's Carplay Move Has Massive Implications for the Auto Industry

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Table of Contents

• Big if True: Tesla's Carplay Move Has Massive Impl …

• Audi’s F1 Car Design Preview Looks Too Much Like a …

• The Camaro Is Alive (in NASCAR)

• Spy Photos and Renderings of the Week

• Google Maps May Let You Avoid “Sunny” Routes Durin …

• The finish line 🏁

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Big if True: Tesla's Carplay Move Has Massive Implications for the Auto Industry

By: Cristian Agatie

Debates about whether phone projection apps like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto still have a place in modern EVs have been fierce, but inconclusive. While many wish newcomers like Tesla and Rivian would consider CarPlay support, others argued that the software in their vehicles is perfect the way it is now, and CarPlay support would only degrade the experience.

When it launched in 2014, Apple CarPlay filled a void in the car infotainment space, offering a well-thought-out interface and placing the most useful phone apps on the vehicle's center screen. More than a decade later, automotive software has advanced tremendously. However, people have become so attached to the familiar Apple CarPlay and Android Auto interfaces that they still wish every car on the planet had them.

Tesla debuted its infotainment system before phone projection apps from Apple and Google became popular or even existed. At the time, another phone projection system was trying to convince customers: MirrorLink, developed by Nokia. I am old enough to have tested MirrorLink on a Volkswagen car, and I can tell you the experience was horrible.

The phone connection was unstable, the refresh rate was about two frames per second or so, and the audio lagged badly that navigation prompts were heard long after you missed a turn. No wonder Elon Musk swore not to allow such an abomination ever to take over his cars' screens. Tesla continued developing its infotainment software and dismissed Apple CarPlay and Android Auto when they launched in 2014 and 2015, respectively.

Years later, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto have become almost mandatory for car ownership, filling the holes left by carmakers. People who used them loved the experience so much that other carmakers that refused to bow to Apple and Google were forced to reconsider. The most notorious examples were BMW and Toyota, which declined to add CarPlay support until 2017 and 2018, respectively. However, Tesla continued to ignore phone projection apps.

The fact that Tesla refused to even consider them has been a good enough excuse for other carmakers to deny Apple and Google access to their ecosystems. However, a new rumor claims that things are about to change. A shocking report claims that Tesla is working on Apple CarPlay integration, causing uproar in the Tesla community. If true, this will mark a tectonic shift for Elon Musk's company. However, implications are much larger than imagined for the automotive industry at large.

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Audi’s F1 Car Design Preview Looks Too Much Like a Silver Arrow

By: Sergiu Tudose

Audi’s long-anticipated entry into Formula 1 marks one of the most significant brand arrivals the sport has seen in decades. The German carmaker enters the grid being weighed down by pedigree as well as pressure. They’ve built a legacy on endurance racing, rally dominance, and of course, some of the most technologically advanced road cars ever made.

Their next challenge is Formula 1, and this past week, they released their first ever official livery concept, which to me should have represented a visual celebration of the brand. Instead, it left my eyebrow lifted higher than Mr. Spock’s in peak Star Trek skepticism.

I’m not saying I don’t like it, because I do. The copper-and-black aesthetic, accented with red at the rear, is clean, modern and pretty darn sweet. My issue is that copper looks dangerously close to silver. And in Formula 1, silver belongs to someone else.

Yes, we might have a Silver Arrows problem. For nearly a century, Mercedes has been synonymous with silver, even though the team experimented with black liveries in recent years. Together with “Ferrari Red”, the “Silver Arrows” identity is easily the most entrenched color tradition in the pinnacle of motorsport.

To recap, Red means Ferrari; Silver means Mercedes, Papaya means McLaren, Dark Green now means Aston Martin, and Dark Blue with a bit of Yellow and Red means Red Bull Racing. Even Haas... sort of means white, red and black, but more on that in a second.

What Audi should be doing is leaning more into a dual-tone black and red aesthetic. Their DTM and endurance racing liveries feature unmistakable combinations of black and red, or black, red and white, and as far as I’m concerned, a bold black-and-red scheme would be instantly recognizable, linking the brand’s F1 cars to its motorsport legacy.

Black and red can easily be integrated into F1 without stepping on any other team’s traditions, especially since no current team uses this color scheme as a core identity. Sure, Ferrari uses red with black accents (sometimes), but the proportions and tone are entirely different. This means Audi would have plenty of space to stretch their legs here, so to speak. Why would they choose not to?

Getting this right is very important. You might think it’s just a color scheme, but colors aren’t just there for branding purposes. They literally shape how young fans emotionally connect with teams. Fans need to connect with Audi on the grid from the very beginning, meaning as soon as preseason starts at the end of January.

For the full article, please continue reading on our site.

The Camaro Is Alive (in NASCAR)

By: Elena Luchian

Chevrolet is dialing up the aggression for 2026, unveiling a refreshed Camaro ZL1 racecar that blends next-gen race tech with cues pulled straight from the brand's latest performance accessories line.

Set to make its on-track debut at the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray next February, the updated ZL1 signals Chevy's continued push to keep its flagship NASCAR entry both competitive and unmistakably Camaro.

The redesign aligns closely with Chevrolet's newly released Camaro ZL1 Carbon Performance Package, an accessories kit aimed at owners looking to squeeze every ounce of capability from the sixth-generation ZL1. Just as the street car's kit sharpens its aero and cooling characteristics, the 2026 Cup car echoes those changes with functional, high-impact styling updates.

Front and center is a larger, more pronounced hood power dome, giving the racecar an even bolder stance while improving airflow over the nose. The front fascia has been reworked with a revised grille that draws inspiration from the ZL1 1LE, known among Camaro diehards for its track-focused aero.

Along the sides, more sculpted and pronounced rocker panels tie the whole look together and mirror the carbon-fiber rockers featured in the Carbon Performance Package.

While the updates bring the ZL1 racecar visually closer to the production model, they also highlight Chevrolet's long-standing approach of collaborating closely with NASCAR and its teams to ensure race-ready functionality. It's a balancing act, staying true to showroom identity while dialed in for 500-mile battles.

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Spy Photos and Renderings of the Week

By: Mircea Panait

The segment's best-selling minivan prepares for yet another facelift. While not a generation change, the 2027 Chrysler Pacifica is coming with Halcyon concept-inspired styling cues and power sliding rear doors that can be opened with a kicking motion under the rocker panel.

Under the front-end camouflage wrap, the Chrysler brand went for a smaller upper grille, a larger lower intake, and smaller headlights. Look even closer, and you will notice an illuminated badge located in the middle of the upper grille. Visible through the front passenger side window, a larger touchscreen is on the menu as well.

When it comes to what may be hiding underhood, that remains a mystery for now. But given that Jeep has introduced the 2.0-liter Hurricane 4 EVO in the Grand Cherokee as the successor of the 3.6-liter Pentastar free-breathing V6, it's natural to assume that inline-four turbo muscle is coming to the Windsor, Ontario-built minivan.

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Targeting well-to-do individuals who prefer being chauffeured, the 2027 Genesis GV90 is the luxury brand's largest BEV to date. Believed to debut by the end of the year in South Korea, the plusher sibling of the Hyundai Ioniq 9 and Kia EV9 stands out from other large battery-electric sport utility vehicles through its rear-hinged rear doors.

The coach doors are believed to be an optional extra. In this configuration, the GV90 sports no B pillars for easier ingress and egress. Soft close, along with automatic opening and closing, are certainly featured. We can further expect a 2+2 ultra-luxury configuration, along with seating for up to seven occupants for the standard GV90 with conventional rear doors.

Underpinned by the all-new eM platform, the flagship sport utility vehicle that looks more like a minivan is primed to exceed the Ioniq 9's maximum driving range in dual-motor specification. For 2026, the Ioniq 9 for the United States of America tops 335 miles (539 kilometers) with RWD and 320 miles (515 kilometers) with AWD.

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Turning our attention back to all things internal combustion, Merc has been recently spied testing a couple of 2027 Mercedes-AMG SL 63 prototypes with little in the way of camouflage. The German automaker only masked their fronts, which continue to feature the Panamericana grille that differentiates AMG models from Benzes and plusher vehicles from the Maybach sub-brand.

The lower part of the front bumper is completely redesigned, with Mercedes finding room for significantly larger side air intakes. Otherwise put, more cooling is required for the next iteration of the AMG-only SL roadster. This further indicates that Merc is preparing to introduce AMG's next V8 engine, namely a flat-plant crankshaft V8 with twin snails for good measure.

While it's too soon to make any peak output guesstimates, we do know that AMG squeezed out a terrifying 720 horsepower from the M178 LS2 of the limited-run GT Black Series. A punchier tune graces the plug-in hybrid Aston Martin Valhalla, which is listed by the British manufacturer with 817 combustion-only horsepower.

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After hitting the road for testing in October 2025, the 2027 Honda Pilot has been subsequently undressed of its camouflage wrap by pixel artist Nikita Chuicko. Best described as being an evolutionary makeover, the forthcoming refresh of the family-sized crossover flaunts mildly revised bumpers, front and rear lights, and a cleaner liftgate.

Interior updates will be limited as well, mostly centered on the infotainment side of the cabin. Similar to the Pacifica facelift, a new powertrain is expected from the Pilot. According to Honda, its next-generation hybrid system for larger vehicles will debut sometime around 2027, which makes us think the Pilot will get it for 2028.

The newly developed V6 engine can be combined with up to three electric drive units, although this version is likely intended for the Acura MDX Type S. Combined output figures haven't been revealed yet, but Honda did promise stronger acceleration and up to 30 percent better gas mileage compared to current internal combustion mid-size SUVs.

Google Maps May Let You Avoid “Sunny” Routes During Heatwaves. Yes, I Know About the Tesla Thing

By: Bogdan Popa

Tesla, yes, Tesla, is working on adding CarPlay support in its cars. Hell is probably freezing over, but the big honchos at Tesla have had enough with this limitation and have now decided to open the door to the most requested feature. 

It's been a while since Elon Musk publicly said "no" to CarPlay, but it now looks like the strategy was changed overnight for an obvious reason. Tesla sales slowed down, and considering many potential buyers see the lack of CarPlay as a deal-breaker, the decision was a no-brainer. 

CarPlay will only work wirelessly in Tesla cars and won't get access to essential functions, such as FSD. It'll run in a dedicated panel, so it won't replace the native infotainment and will run side by side with Tesla's software. 

Otherwise, Google is working around the clock on bringing more features to its products. Google Maps could gain a new feature that allows users to avoid sunny routes during heatwaves, while Android Auto is experiencing a black box issue that disrupts the navigation app. 

Apple is also exploring further updates to the widget integration in CarPlay, so we may eventually get more than one widget per screen on smaller infotainment displays.

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