Apple has now partnered with every major automaker in the industry

CarPlay is gaining some serious traction with Apple now listing every major automaker in the industry as a “committed partner” for the platform, which includes every company that ships more than a million cars every year. However, China’s state-owned “big four” automakers were conspicuously absent from the list. 

Apple now lists every major carmaker as a “committed partner” for CarPlay, including every company that produces more than a million cars per year with the notable exception of China’s state owned, “big four” vehicle producers. Speaking to company shareholders on Tuesday, Apple’s chief executive Tim Cook made it clear that he would sidestep any and all questions about Apple’s next strategic moves in automotive (including rumors of developing its own car), outside of one element he has repeatedly emphasized: CarPlay. Cook has recently taken to listing CarPlay alongside HomeKit and Health/Research Kit as the company’s “seamless extension of iOS” into the car, the home, and healthcare and clinical research. CarPlay was first introduced by Eddy Cue at WWDC 2013 as “iOS in the Car,” a new initiative that Cook at the time called “very, very important” and a “key focus for us.”