Pioneer was first to bring CarPlay to the market without requiring you to buy a new car, and at CES 2015 today the company announced the second generation of its CarPlay-enabled NEX in-dash receivers. The latest Pioneer NEX displays all support CarPlay and start at $700 with 6.2-inch and 7-inch resistive and capacitive touch displays.
The specific models of Pioneer’s latest NEX in-dash receivers include AVIC-8100NEX, AVIC-7100NEX, AVIC-6100NEX, AVIC-5100NEX and AVH-4100NEX.
Pioneer’s flagship model, the AVIC-8100NEX, features a capacitive WVGA touchscreen display while the rest of the lineup features the less preferred resistive WVGA touch panel (see our hands-on from last fall), but Pioneer does say these new displays have “brighter, more vibrant colors and increased touch sensitivity, making it more responsive than traditional resistive touch panels.”
Additionally, Pioneer is introducing support for Google’s Android Auto feature in many of the new NEX in-dash receivers. Specifically, the AVIC-8100NEX, AVIC-7100NEX, and AVH-4100NEX models will support both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in the same unit. See our hands-on comparison video here.
The second generation NEX lineup will start shipping in March with the 4100NEX at $700, 5100NEX at $750, 6100NEX at $900, 7100NEX at $1,200, and 8100NEX at $1,400.
Earlier today we also saw Kenwood announce plans to support CarPlay in 2015 and Alpine also has an aftermarket CarPlay display available.
