2018 Mazda CX-9 Mazda Connect display screen

Mazda will begin to offer Android Auto and Apple CarPlay in its vehicles, starting with the new CX-9 sport utility vehicle when it arrives in summer 2018.

MyLink connecting to Apple CarPlay

More and more people are looking for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity in their new vehicles, to the point that the feature is one of the “must haves” for new-car buyers. And slowly it’s becoming the norm.

Mazda announced at the recent New York International Auto Show that the 2019 CX-9 would be the first Mazda vehicle to incorporate Android Auto and Apple CarPlay — technology that enables a car display screen to mimic the screen as well as acting as a controller for the respective smartphones — on vehicles equipped with the Mazda Connect system (Mazda’s on-board Human Machine Interface).

Android Auto screen

And, Mazda Canada has apparently confirmed that it will offer retrofit kits for past vehicles equipped with Mazda Connect, dating back to 2014, when the HMI system was first introduced. The kit will is expected to be available through Mazda’s Parts and Accessories network.