Honda debuts new Accord with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support

Image: Honda MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Honda is the latest car company to move into Apple's backyard. The car company opened a...

Image: Honda

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Honda is the latest car company to move into Apple's backyard.
The car company opened a new research and development facility in Mountain View Thursday, the company's largest such facility outside of its headquarters in Japan. Honda also unveiled its new 2016 Accord, which will be the first in the company's lineup to support both Apple's CarPlay and Google's Android Auto platforms.

See also: Honda Civic concept targets younger drivers with bold design

The refreshed Accord sports a redesigned exterior that Honda says is sportier and "more sophisticated" with a new aluminum hood and 19-inch wheels. Inside, the car is equipped with a 7-inch touchscreen display that supports both Apple CarPlay and Google's Android Auto. The car will be available in the same four- and six-cylinder engine variations as the 2015 Accord.
Honda says it plans to make Android Auto and CarPlay available to more of its cars, but didn't elaborate on which cars might be next to get the update.
During a press event at the new facility in Mountain View Thursday, Honda's R&D Americas President, Frank Paluch said the decision to unveil the new Accord in Silicon Valley, rather than a car show or industry event, was a sign of a mindset shift for the company as it looks to keep up with changes in technology.

Honda's new Silicon Valley R&D facility on Mountain View, California.

Image: Honda

"We're thinking much further ahead to an even more challenging period of disruptive change and a technological innovation that's going to come," Paluch said during the event. "The operations we have here in Silicon Valley are a testimony to our focus on this new direction for our company."
Honda's R&D team in Silicon Valley will focus on research in experimental areas, like virtual reality, new uses for sensor data, new initiatives to support app developers and experimental vehicles, like its Uni-Cub "personal mobility device."
The automaker has had a presence in Silicon Valley since 2000, but Thursday's expansion makes the Mountain View facility one of the company's largest, second only to its headquarters in Japan. The move comes as there is increasing competition among car companies to gain a foothold in the area. Ford opened a new Silicon Valley research center in January, to focus on self driving car initiatives. Meanwhile, rumors have been steadily ramping up that that Apple is also gearing up to move into the automotive space.

mashable