Rivian Says AI Makes CarPlay Obsolete as Customer Demand Falls Below 25%

2 articles · Updated · 9to5Mac · May 28

Wassym Bensaid said Rivian will keep rejecting Apple CarPlay, arguing cars are shifting from “software-defined” to “AI-defined” and that deep in-car AI integration makes the debate irrelevant.
The stance comes just after Rivian launched its in-house AI assistant for R1 vehicles, part of a broader push toward agentic voice control and tighter integration with vehicle functions.
Bensaid said customer interest in CarPlay has dropped sharply: from more than 70% of Rivian owners requesting it after the R1T and R1S launch to less than 25% in a recent survey.
Rivian has long argued screen-mirroring platforms take over too much of the in-car experience, reinforcing CEO RJ Scaringe’s earlier position that customers would eventually accept the company’s own software stack.

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