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Apple Carplay vs Android: the smartphone hits the road

By Damion Smy Motor Industry 11 June 2014 07:18 The days of frustrating in-car interfaces and clunky touchscreens are ending, as computing giants Apple and Google start unleashing the full power of smartphone technology in your car.  Apple has fired the opening salvo in the war on wheels with its ‘CarPlay’ system launched at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show and offered by Ferrari, Mercedes and Volvo, and at least 15 other car brands. If you own an iPhone, you’ll find CarPlay natural and intuitive – it’s this type of familiarity that car companies and Apple are banking on to win you over. Cars have been able to play your iTunes library and read texts for a while, but CarPlay takes this functionality to a whole new level.

Citroën invites design ideas via Facebook

Citroën has launched a Facebook app calling for users to select design features for what it calls a special edition car, the first crowdsourced car in the UK. Rather than the genuinely design-led competitions we've seen recently from Renault (Twizy) and Citroën's own DS3, ‘You Like It, We Make It', offers six configurations such as exterior and interior color scheme, technology options like Bluetooth and SatNav, alloys, and the number of doors the vehicle has. The Citroeën C1 Connexion special edition will be kitted out with the most popular ideas and those participating via the app will be in with a chance of winning the car when it goes on sale later in the year.

Mercedes-Benz A-class patent renderings leaked

Mercedes-Benz unveiled a three-door concept version of its 2012 A-class at the New York and Shanghai auto shows in April, and images of a possible production model leaked this week via the European Patent Office. The renderings show a five-door hatchback version of the A-class concept with less aggressive styling. Its world premiere is said to be scheduled for the Frankfurt motor show in September.