Spotify introduced the Car Thing in February 2022, and ceased production of the device less than a year later. Car Thing acts as an entertainment console attachment for cars that don't have one, except its sole purpose is to navigate your Spotify account. It's basically the Spotify app in Bluetooth-enabled brick form.
When companies stop making hardware, they usually stop producing it. But Spotify is shutting down Car Thing completely, including the software it runs on. Car Thing will stop working on December 9.
The reason given for this discontinuation was shared through their FAQ page. Spotify stated, “We’re discontinuing Car Thing as part of our ongoing efforts to streamline our product offerings...this decision allows us to focus on developing new features and enhancements that will ultimately provide a better experience to all Spotify users.”
Additionally, Spotify has outlined specific guidance on how users should dispose of their "Car Thing." They advise owners to "reset your Car Thing to factory settings and safely disposing of your device following local electronic waste guidelines,".
Source: Hypebeast