Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe has made it clear in a recent podcast interview that the company has no plans to adopt Apple’s CarPlay platform. The electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer, known for its highly anticipated R1T pickup truck and R1S SUV, is one of the most notable CarPlay holdouts alongside Tesla.
During the podcast interview with Marques Brownlee, Scaringe was asked about Rivian’s decision to not offer CarPlay support. Brownlee highlighted a statistic shared by Apple at WWDC 2022, which stated that 79% of US car buyers only consider CarPlay-capable vehicles.
Scaringe explained that Rivian’s decision was driven by its desire to be the “arbiter or head chef” of the in-car software experience, rather than handing over control to a company like Apple. He said, “By controlling the system, it just allows us to be the arbiter or the head chef in terms of the experience you get, versus handing over control of what we think is one of the most important parts of the experience.”
Scaringe went on to say that Rivian is focused on rolling out updates to its own in-car software on a regular basis, which is only possible by “controlling the software stack.” He stated, “The thing about controlling the software stack is we get to continually make it better. Every few weeks we have a new software release that either adds features, addresses gaps, we listen to feedback.”
While Rivian had previously indicated that it might add CarPlay in the future if there was enough consumer demand, Scaringe’s recent comments suggest that CarPlay support is not currently on the company’s roadmap.
As more car buyers prioritize in-car technology features, EV manufacturers are under pressure to offer the latest and greatest systems. While CarPlay remains a popular choice for many consumers, Rivian’s decision to prioritize its own in-car software experience may set it apart from competitors in the market.
