An eye-catching news has emerged - Mercedes-Benz, the leader in the luxury car industry, has decided to shift the focus of its future product strategy to self-developed automotive infotainment systems instead of adopting the upcoming new generation of Apple CarPlay. Konrad Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management and CEO of Mercedes-Benz AG, confirmed the decision in a recent media interview.

Konrad Zetsche said that Mercedes-Benz is fully committed to building its own in-car ecosystem to achieve a more personalized and seamless driving experience, and there are currently no plans to adopt a new generation of CarPlay system.

Mercedes-Benz isn't the only company skeptical of CarPlay. As early as the second half of last year, General Motors had stated that new models starting in 2024 would no longer support CarPlay.

So what's driving automakers to distance themselves from CarPlay?

First, the update frequency of CarPlay itself becomes a key issue. Since its launch in 2013, it has taken a full decade to usher in the first major iteration, and the new version has not yet been officially launched, indicating that this relatively slow update pace cannot meet the rapidly developing technological needs of the automotive industry.

Cost considerations are also important. In addition to paying Apple a large licensing fee, car manufacturers must also go through an extremely cumbersome and complicated certification process. According to the official recommended process, the actual cycle from the initial certification to the final implementation of CarPlay is often between 1 and 2 years, which is undoubtedly a challenge for car manufacturers that pursue rapid iteration and market responsiveness.

Lastly, the ambitious display of the new generation CarPlay has also raised concerns and worries in the industry. Compared to the old version, which mainly served navigation and infotainment functions, the new version of CarPlay attempts to take over all the systems in the car, including dashboard display, and can access various core vehicle operation data such as speed, fuel level, temperature, and even control various parts of the vehicle, such as the audio system and air conditioning. This level of deep integration has led many car manufacturers to have concerns about their own core technology independence and the security of user data.