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| 2014 Honda revealed at the SEMA |
Honda will be the first car manufacturer to offer full iOS mirroring – iOS in the Car. This means that you will be able to use voice commands to access your iPhone’s contacts book, make phone calls and dictate messages while driving.
iOS in the Car was only officially revealed at Apple’s Developer Conference in June, but Honda is wasting no time in integrating it into its new 2014 Civic, which hits US showrooms in December. iOS in the Car turns a vehicle’s integrated touchscreen display into a larger iPhone screen complete with core apps — navigation, search, music library, contacts book and inbox, plus voice command access to Siri — Apple’s ‘smart’ concierge service.
A report by ABI Research, published earlier this month, examining the future of in-car connectivity, forecasts that by 2018, 50 percent of all new cars will offer iOS in the Car as a standard feature and that demand for the system would be driven by consumers who want greater smartphone functionality and access to apps while behind the wheel.
“It is inevitable that consumers will demand to be able to use their smartphones in cars, even in luxury cars equipped with the latest top-of-the-range fully embedded infotainment systems. However, OEMs producing lower-end mass-market cars will probably invest significantly less on developing their own systems and rely more on smartphones-centric infotainment solutions,” commented Gareth Owen, principal analyst at ABI Research.
“Car OEMs face the difficult challenges of not only how best to integrate smartphones into their vehicles, but also how to ensure that the integration strategy remains viable throughout the life of the vehicle and multiple generations of smartphones,” explains Owen.
As for iOS in the Car, 18 car companies have announced they plan to adopt the system or are at least committed to testing its capabilities. As well as Honda, they include Audi, Ferrari, Hyundai, Infiniti, Jaguar Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota and Volvo.
