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New Models

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come to Ford Sync 3, Fiat Chrysler UConnect

The list of carmakers offering connectivity with the new Apple CarPlay and Android Auto infotainment platforms has grown again, with Ford and Fiat Chrysler both making major announcements at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.


For Ford, the move marks an anticipated upgrade to its new Sync 3 system, which was revealed last year and is locked in for an Australian launch sometime next year.

Sync 3 already offers a suite of media services that include Spotify, Pandora and iHeart Radio, along with a number of others through its own integrated app store.

Above: Android Auto in the Ford Mustang, top of screen: Apple CarPlay in the Mustang

The addition of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, however, allows users to connect with the familiar interface and app suite that features on their Apple and Android phones.

“With Sync, we move at our customers’ pace – making it easy for them to maintain a connected lifestyle no matter their choice of smartphone, apps or services inside and outside their vehicle,” said Don Butler, Ford’s boss of connected vehicles and services.

Fiat Chrysler’s announcement includes not only the addition of CarPlay and Android Auto, but also details and a first glimpse of its next-generation UConnect system.

Above: CarPlay in UConnect 4

That upgrade, which will replace the current UConnect platform in overseas markets later this year, will bring new higher-resolution displays with crisper graphics and more powerful internals for faster boot-up and operation.

Australian timing for the upgraded UConnect system is still to be confirmed, but it could be a while off: according to Fiat Chrysler’s release today, CarPlay and Android Auto will initially only be offered in a select number of models overseas.

Above: Android Auto in UConnect 4

"With the launch of the fourth generation of Uconnect systems, we are continuing to minimize the everyday stresses of busy lifestyles by providing drivers with a variety of ways to stay conveniently connected to their vehicles, while making every drive exceptionally informative, entertaining and unique,” said Joni Christensen, FCA’s head of UConnect Marketing.

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