Toyota Supra won't get Android Auto, even though future BMWs will

Toyota isn't planning to upgrade to BMW's iDrive 7 infotainment tech.

Steven Ewing Former managing editor

Steven Ewing spent his childhood reading car magazines, making his career as an automotive journalist an absolute dream job. After getting his foot in the door at Automobile while he was still a teenager, Ewing found homes on the mastheads at Winding Road magazine, Autoblog and Motor1.com before joining the CNET team in 2018. He has also served on the World Car Awards jury. Ewing grew up ingrained in the car culture of Detroit -- the Motor City -- before eventually moving to Los Angeles. In his free time, Ewing loves to cook, binge trash TV and play the drums.

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Steven Ewing

May 4, 2020 2:05 p.m. PT

Toyota Supra infotainment — The Supra uses BMW's iDrive 6 infotainment system.
Steven Ewing/Roadshow

The co-developed and sports cars share a number of things, from engines to suspension parts to interior switchgear. But while the Z4 uses latest iDrive 7 infotainment tech, the Supra relies on the German company's iDrive 6 software. And that isn't going to change.

That's especially important to note now, as BMW recently announced it'll begin offering Android Auto on its iDrive 7-equipped cars in July -- wirelessly, too. Android Auto is not included with iDrive 6, including the Supra, meaning coupe won't be available with this smartphone-mirroring tech. Meanwhile, Apple CarPlay is standard.

"We're always looking to see what's possible," Ben Haushalter, Toyota's senior manager of vehicle product planning, told Roadshow in a press conference Monday. But the company has no immediate plans to put iDrive 7 tech in the Supra, and Haushalter said it isn't a priority.

"We're collecting customer feedback to see if that's something they're interested in," Haushalter said. "We visited over a dozen dealers ... we met with owners. Honestly, the Android Auto question hasn't come up as huge detractors so far."

Cabin tech aside, the Supra heads into the 2021 model year with some significant upgrades, including a new 2.0-liter turbo I4 model and more power for the 3.0-liter twin-turbo I6. That's apparently only the beginning for the Supra, too, so who knows, maybe the company will change its mind regarding infotainment options.