Photo: Mazda
Can you believe that 2019 is knocking on the door, but some manufacturers who offer touchscreen infotainment can’t be bothered to include smartphone mirroring? Mazda is one of the culprits, having refused to embrace Android Auto and Apple CarPlay when the rest of the industry was picking up these technologies. Porsche, on the other hand, still doesn’t offer Android Auto because Google asks for too much data.
Turning our attention back to Mazda, the Hiroshima-based automaker announced that Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are now available as dealer-installed options for vehicles from the 2014 model year onwards, equipped with Mazda Connect touchscreen infotainment. The upgrade requires two service hours, and the retail price is $199 plus labor.
Just to set the record straight, both technologies first appeared this summer in the Mazda6 and two crossovers for the 2019 model year. The upgrade also includes hardware modifications. More to the point, the highlight consists of the 2.1-amp USB ports that enable faster charging for your phone.
In accordance to Mazda’s philosophy of minimized distracted driving and safer operation of the vehicle, the multi-function knob in the center console, shortcut buttons, and voice command are the means of controlling Mazda Connect when driving. If the vehicle is stationary or idling, the driver is allowed to use the touchscreen of the infotainment system.
On a related note, Mazda and Toyota started construction of the joint manufacturing plant in Huntsville, Alabama. Both parties invested $1.6 billion in the facility, which is expected to create 4,000 jobs by the time it becomes operational in 2021. Toyota will build the Corolla here whereas Mazda has something that it describes as a “yet-to-be-revealed crossover model.”
“We are proud to be here with Toyota, with whom we share the bond of pride in manufacturing,” declared Kiyotaka Shobuda, Mazda’s senior managing executive officer. “We are proud to be breaking ground on a new home here in Huntsville – a city that believes in the possibilities of technology and manufacturing, and has striven to realize mankind’s greatest dream.”
Just to set the record straight, both technologies first appeared this summer in the Mazda6 and two crossovers for the 2019 model year. The upgrade also includes hardware modifications. More to the point, the highlight consists of the 2.1-amp USB ports that enable faster charging for your phone.
In accordance to Mazda’s philosophy of minimized distracted driving and safer operation of the vehicle, the multi-function knob in the center console, shortcut buttons, and voice command are the means of controlling Mazda Connect when driving. If the vehicle is stationary or idling, the driver is allowed to use the touchscreen of the infotainment system.
On a related note, Mazda and Toyota started construction of the joint manufacturing plant in Huntsville, Alabama. Both parties invested $1.6 billion in the facility, which is expected to create 4,000 jobs by the time it becomes operational in 2021. Toyota will build the Corolla here whereas Mazda has something that it describes as a “yet-to-be-revealed crossover model.”
“We are proud to be here with Toyota, with whom we share the bond of pride in manufacturing,” declared Kiyotaka Shobuda, Mazda’s senior managing executive officer. “We are proud to be breaking ground on a new home here in Huntsville – a city that believes in the possibilities of technology and manufacturing, and has striven to realize mankind’s greatest dream.”
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