Apple CarPlay Announces 9 New Partners Amid Growing Competition With Android Auto

Soon after Google Inc.’s (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android Auto announcement, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) added several automakers to the growing list of manufacturers that have backed CarPlay.

The list of car makers that have committed their support to CarPlay was updated by Apple on Tuesday, adding several car brands under the Fiat Chrysler umbrella, including: Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep and Ram. Also joining the list is Audi and Mazda, bringing the total number of car makers that support Apple CarPlay to 29.

In comparison, 28 automakers currently support Android Auto through the Open Automotive Alliance. While many of these manufacturers have dedicated their support to both CarPlay and Android Auto, there are a few outliers that have thrown their support to one platform or the other exclusively.

At this time, BMW Group, Jaguar, Land Rover, Citroen, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota and Peugeot Citroen have sided with CarPlay.

Volkswagen Group (FWB:VOW) along with its subsidiaries Maserati, Seat, Renault, Skoda and Bentley have partnered exclusively with Android Auto, according to list available on the Open Automotive Alliance website. While Acura and Infiniti are also exclusively listed under the Open Automotive Alliance partner page, it’s not clear if they will be exclusive to Android Auto, since CarPlay also lists their parent companies Honda and Nissan as partners.

Despite the exclusivity to each platform, the design approaches taken in creating Apple CarPlay and Android Auto have been highly conducive towards automotive interface designs that could potentially support both standards. Both CarPlay and Android treat a car’s touch screen interface as a “mirrored” touch screen powered by an iPhone or Android device.

The list of manufacturers supporting CarPlay has steadily grown since its introduction in March, which then included 16 automakers.