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Wireless Apple CarPlay coming to all Volkswagen models

Wireless smartphone mirroring has until now been reserved for top end luxury brands.


Volkswagen Australia will offer wireless Apple CarPlay across its wider local range "within the next 18 months" in conjunction with the global rollout of the new 'MIB3' infotainment architecture, from the Polo hatch to the Amarok ute and Transporter van.

As reported prior, the new third-generation modular infotainment system features 'App Connect Wireless', as offered locally by BMW to date, together with eSIM online connectivity, though the latter functionality will no be initially available in Australia.

The new MIB3 system debuts in the new face-lifted 2020 Passat 140TSI Business, which is now on sale locally from $45,990 for the sedan and $47,990 for the wagon, before on-roads.

While MIB3 will be the standard format for both the 'regular' 8.0-inch Discover Media and high-end 9.2-inch Discover Pro infotainment grades, it was originally thought that wireless CarPlay might only feature on the latter unit.

However, according to Volkswagen Australia PR spokesman Kurt McGuiness, complete wireless phone mirroring is a foregone conclusion.

“It’s too soon to tell how the offer structures will be built, but when we introduced Apple CarPlay back in 2015 we brought it in across the board and basically made it our standard system," he says.

"As our vehicles move into a new generation of technology, it’s not going to be case where you have wired Apple CarPlay for some models and wireless for others. The (infotainment) system generations will just update with various model updates and it’ll become the standard format."

MIB3 was originally slated to debut in Australia with the face-lifted 2020 Skoda Superb, which has been hit with similar delays to those that have held back the release of the face-lifted Passat.

A detailed overview of MIB3 features can be found here.

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