Australia's best-selling vehicle won't be getting true phone-mirroring any time soon, with the Toyota HiLux to miss out on Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, even as the technology sweeps the brand's passenger car range.
At the recent launch of the brand's RAV4 SUV, Toyota announced it would last embrace true phone-mirroring technology, with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to begin arriving in the fourth quarter of 2019. Anyone who buys a RAV4 now will be able to have the technology retro-fitted at no cost, and a retro-fit solution will also be offered on the Corolla hatch and Camry sedan.
But despite an updated HiLux due to arrive in Australia around the middle of the year - bringing with it key safety equipment like AEB, adaptive cruise control and lane departure warning - it is understood that Apple CarPlay and Android Auto will not be offered at this stage.
The problem lies in the HiLux multimedia system, which is a different unit to the one that appears in the bulk of Toyota's passenger-car range. It is understood HiLux customers will need to wait for a major facelift before the technology can be offered.
Not that the delay appears to be hurting HiLux much, with Toyota's super-popular ute crowned Australia's best-selling vehicle in 2018, with 51,705 finding homes across the country.
"We don’t have any further announcements on timing (for the HiLux, but it is something we’re working in it," said a Toyota spokesperson.
"We’re acutely aware it’s something that we need to work on."
How important is Apple CarPlay, Android Auto to you when choosing your new car? Tell us in the comments below.
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Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
Andrew Chesterton should probably hate cars. From his hail-damaged Camira that looked like it had spent a hard life parked at the end of Tiger Woods' personal driving range, to the Nissan Pulsar Reebok that shook like it was possessed by a particularly mean-spirited demon every time he dared push past 40km/h, his personal car history isn't exactly littered with gold.
But that seemingly endless procession of rust-savaged hate machines taught him something even more important; that cars are more than a collection of nuts, bolts and petrol. They're your ticket to freedom, a way to unlock incredible experiences, rolling invitations to incredible adventures. They have soul.
And so, somehow, the car bug still bit. And it bit hard.
When "Chesto" started his journalism career with News Ltd's Sunday and Daily Telegraph newspapers, he covered just about everything, from business to real estate, courts to crime, before settling into state political reporting at NSW Parliament House.
But the automotive world's siren song soon sounded again, and he begged anyone who would listen for the opportunity to write about cars. Eventually they listened, and his career since has seen him filing car news, reviews and features for TopGear, Wheels, Motor and, of course, CarsGuide, as well as many, many others.
More than a decade later, and the car bug is yet to relinquish its toothy grip. And if you ask Chesto, he thinks it never will.
About Author
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