Final week, we shared a report that Honda was making ready to supply wi-fi CarPlay upgrades for older yr fashions, and now the automaker’s retrofit program has formally launched, offering some extra particulars on the way it works — and what it’ll price for Honda house owners to untether their iPhones on the highway.
As anticipated, the retrofit will solely be obtainable for older Honda Accord fashions — for now, at the least. Particularly, it covers any 2018-2022 Accords that have been already outfitted with wired CarPlay and Android Auto.
Honda introduced the small print in a press launch right now, noting that the improve will embody roughly 631,000 Accords in america. The carmaker says it’s doing this as a part of a “broader sustainability effort” that provides “upgrades and new digital companies” that it hopes can have its prospects protecting their older automobiles on the highway for longer moderately than ditching them to improve to newer fashions simply to achieve options like wi-fi CarPlay.
The catch? This can be a dealer-installed software program improve, which suggests you’ll should take your automotive into the store — and there’s a value concerned. That’s a bit disappointing, contemplating all of the automobiles eligible for the retrofit usually get their software program updates over the air.
Honda makes it clear that there’s no new {hardware} concerned, and the excellent news is that the corporate guarantees it’s a “fast software program replace.”
This fast software program replace allows prospects to leverage {hardware} already of their Honda car to get pleasure from seamless connectivity via wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Enhancing the possession expertise and market worth of Honda automobiles already in use is a key technique in pursuit of our purpose to have zero environmental influence by 2050.
Jay Joseph, vp of the Sustainability & Enterprise Growth Division at American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
Since Bluetooth isn’t quick sufficient to help wi-fi CarPlay, solely automobiles which have built-in Wi-Fi techniques are eligible, which is why it’s solely the 2018 and later Honda Accords; though CarPlay debuted on the 2016 Accord, the 2016–17 fashions didn’t have the mandatory Wi-Fi {hardware} within the automobiles. Some lower-end 2018–2022 Accord trims is probably not eligible, both, because the automotive has to have wired CarPlay within the first place; Honda isn’t including CarPlay to these automobiles that didn’t have already got it, it’s merely extending the prevailing CarPlay to work wirelessly.
It’s a little bit of a thriller why these fashions didn’t already help wi-fi CarPlay. Chalk it as much as the vagaries of automakers’ priorities when bundling options and possibility packages of their automobiles.
What Will This Value?
Honda Accord house owners can anticipate to pay at the least $112, which is the producer’s advised retail worth (MSRP), plus “a vendor labor cost.” The MSRP isn’t essentially fastened however will in all probability be the usual base payment, whereas the vendor cost will probably range relying on the place you are taking your Accord to get it put in. Prospects can be taught extra by visiting the Honda DreamShop;
Honda can also be putting in the improve at no extra cost on any Accord fashions it sells as Licensed Pre-Owned automobiles, “offering extra worth to the licensed program.”
Though some producers like BMW have been forward of the curve, most carmakers solely started embracing wi-fi CarPlay of their 2021 yr fashions. Because of this, a cottage trade of third-party adapters has sprung up through the years to bridge the hole, plugging into your automotive’s USB port to persuade your car that it’s utilizing a wired CarPlay connection whereas letting your iPhone join wirelessly. Nonetheless, these are typically hit-or-miss in relation to compatibility and reliability and might’t evaluate to built-in wi-fi CarPlay integration, so Honda’s improve program must be properly value it for Accord house owners who need to cease plugging in earlier than they hit the highway.