Pioneer was first to bring Apple CarPlay to existing cars in 2014, and now the company is pulling off another CarPlay first. The new Pioneer Sphera is the first system with aftermarket Dolby Atmos support, and it’s now shipping.

Pioneer Sphera with aftermarket Dolby Atmos through CarPlay now available

At CES 2026, Pioneer announced its new Sphera aftermarket in-dash receiver with support for a premium CarPlay feature:

Building on decades of audio innovation, Pioneer, a global leader in in-vehicle sound and aftermarket car electronics, introduces SPHERA, the world’s first aftermarket spatial audio in-dash receiver to feature Dolby Atmos® playback in Apple CarPlay. To date, in-vehicle Dolby Atmos has been available only in models equipped with Dolby Atmos-enabled sound systems.…