Tech

Seems Like Its Only Aston Martin And A Few Others That Will Use Carplay Ultra

Published

1 year ago

July 27, 2025

Ehijie

Apple launched CarPlay Ultra in May 2025, a redesigned version of its infotainment system that allows for deep integration between the iPhone and vehicle controls, ranging from the center screen to the instrument cluster and climate control. Initially presented at WWDC 2022, this system has been enthusiastically received by some manufacturers, including Aston Martin, which deployed it as a world premiere. Porsche, Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis are also among those that have committed to it.

BMW has nothing planned for CarPlay Ultra

However, the project quickly lost momentum. At the end of 2023, Apple mentioned an arrival for 2024, but the schedule was pushed back to early 2025. In addition, around twenty brands—including Mercedes, Audi, Volvo, Polestar, and Renault—have given up on integrating CarPlay Ultra into their vehicles. Now it’s BMW’s turn, which, through a spokesperson relayed by BMW Blog, confirmed that it “currently has no plans to integrate” CarPlay Ultra, preferring in fact to rely on its iDrive system. This software platform, currently being modernized, plans a launch in the BMW iX3 for 2025, with a renewed interface (Panoramic iDrive) unveiled at CES 2025. Compatibility with “classic” CarPlay and “Android Auto” will remain current, but the integration remains confined to the central screen.

Why are manufacturers resisting CarPlay Ultra?

Manufacturers’ resistance to the integration of CarPlay Ultra is not simply a technical choice, but rather a real challenge of digital and economic sovereignty. While CarPlay Ultra goes further than the classic version by taking control of the entire dashboard (from the instrumentation to the management of vehicle functions, including the interface design), many brands such as Renault, Mercedes, Audi, Volvo, and Polestar refuse to relinquish control over the software architecture of their models. Behind this choice, they are seeking to maintain control over their onboard systems, ownership and use of the data collected, as well as the generation of new revenue through the connected services they can offer exclusively.

Also, if each manufacturer today wishes to take care of its own digital identity and offer a personalized experience, the question of data confidentiality is central  : Apple assures that no information is transmitted to the iPhone, but this guarantee is not sufficient to reassure all the stakeholders, anxious to maintain control of the content generated on board the vehicle. Paradoxically, however, let us remember that according to a McKinsey study, 85% of motorists prefer third-party systems on their smartphones to native interfaces.