Kia Motors has announced about its usage of the next-gen technology of connectivity in all of its models, as the company plans to introduce Android Auto and Apple Car Play functionality across the entire range of its European models in the span of next 18 months.
Although companies have been talking about it, the implementation of the connectivity has been not much, but Kia is taking this up and has mentioned that by the end of 2017, all of the cars in the European lineup will have Android Auto and Apple CarPlay features.
Kia Motors isn’t going to have this limited to only the top-end vehicles and is going to offer the latest technology to consumers at every price point. To begin with this, Kia is going to have the connectivity available in the new Niro hybrid crossover, Optima Plug-in Hybrid and Sportswagon models when they will be launched later this year.
The Android Auto feature in Niro crossover is going to be designed to work with Android phones running Android 5.0 Lollipop and later. It will need just a USB connectivity for the users to access the smartphone apps and features through the infotainment system. There will be support for voice-guided Google Maps navigation, hands-free calls and texts and voice recognition.
The Apple CarPlay will be for iPhone 5 and later, and it will not be a part of the Niro crossover initially, as the car will be available in Q3 2016, while the Optima Sportswagon that will be released in Q4 2016 will be the first Kia model to have both the technologies together.
