Toyota is committed to advancing the overall technology capabilities of its vehicles. When it comes to multimedia, we continuously seek to improve the experience and provide consumers access to the technology services they desire, always with an eye toward safety. Early last year, starting with the 2019 Toyota Avalon, we announced Apple CarPlay® and Amazon Alexa® would be accessible on many of our 2019 and most of our 2020 models.
To expand these features to current owners, Toyota is excited to announce that both Apple CarPlay and Amazon Alexa compatibility can be added to 2018 Camry and 2018 Sienna vehicles.
“We are always striving to bring highly desirable services to our vehicles. This new program enables CarPlay and Amazon Alexa on some of our most popular vehicles already on the road.” said Steve Basra, vice president of Connected Technologies for Toyota Motor North America. “It’s a great opportunity to surprise and delight our existing customers.”
Apple CarPlay and Amazon Alexa installation will be performed at Toyota dealerships. All 2018 Camry and 2018 Sienna owners will receive a notification from Toyota encouraging them to contact their dealer for additional details or to schedule an appointment.
Separately, although Toyota has previously announced plans to install Dedicated Short-Range Communications (DSRC) technology for V2X on vehicles in the U.S starting in 2021, we have decided to pause our deployment at this time. This decision is based on a range of factors, including the need for greater automotive industry commitment as well as federal government support to preserve the 5.9 GHz spectrum band for DSRC. We will continue to re-evaluate the deployment environment as we work toward creating a safer and more efficient driving ecosystem.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. and North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands. During that time, Toyota has created a tremendous value chain as our teams have contributed to world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 38 million cars and trucks in North America, where we operate 14 manufacturing plants (10 in the U.S.) and directly employ more than 47,000 people (more than 37,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold 2.8 million cars and trucks (2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2018 – and about 87 percent of all Toyota vehicles sold over the past 16 years are still on the road today.
Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.