Apple CarPlay Ultra was announced in May and promised a seamless integration of your iPhone into pretty much every aspect and feature of your car. From the instrument cluster, infotainment, climate, navigation, and everything else, it would all be merged in an Apple-designed interface.
Aston Martin was the first to adopt CarPlay Ultra in its DBX, DB12, and Vantage. Owners of these models in North America are already experiencing its custom themes and iPhone‑style controls.
On paper, this sounds good. Drivers get the familiarity of iOS across their entire dashboard, real‑time gauges, Siri‑powered commands for AC or radio, and even widgets in their instrument cluster. However, several manufacturers have decided not to implement CarPlay Ultra into their cars. Currently, this list contains Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Volvo, Polestar, and Renault.
Several reasons have been given as to why some brands aren’t moving from standard CarPlay to CarPlay Ultra.
Why Some Car Brands Aren’t Adopting Apple CarPlay Ultra
- Brand identity and their own investment
Car makers would have invested a huge amount of money into their own infotainment systems and OTA platforms. Giving control of these to Apple somewhat undermines brand differentiation. - Data surrender
OEMs often see monetising services and user data as future profit streams. Apple’s takeover leaves no room for the brand’s own current or future subscription models. - Safety, liability, and updates
When Apple controls core systems like speedometers and climate, who’s accountable for bugs or recalls?
What This Means For Us Drivers
Several surveys have shown that many people will actually reject cars without Apple CarPlay. In the U.S., 98 % of new vehicles have it, with 600 million daily uses. Interestingly, in head‑to‑head comparisons, drivers consistently rate CarPlay higher than OEMs’ creations.
From that, you can assume that from most users’ point of view, Apple CarPlay Ultra is wanted and would be very well received. However, if car makers don’t want to take it on, your future choice of car might be a bit more limited.
Brands With CarPlay Ultra
Apple has secured commitments from Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, and Porsche to adopt CarPlay Ultra in the next 12 months. There are still many brands that are either not joining the conversation or simply refusing to adopt it into new builds.
So far:
- Aston Martin: already using Apple CarPlay Ultra in some new models
- Hyundai/Kia/Genesis: likely to go full Ultra soon.
- Porsche: on track for future support.
- Mercedes, Audi, Volvo, Renault: currently not moving forward with it.
With all that being said, though, Apple claims more OEMs will join as a result of consumer pressure.
What Next?
Unless things change (which they likely will), if you drive an Aston Martin, Hyundai, Kia, or Genesis next year, you’ll likely experience CarPlay Ultra for yourself. However, if you prefer to drive a Mercedes, Audi, Volvo or Renault, you might not!
It will be interesting to see how many of the brands currently choosing not to adopt Apple CarPlay Ultra end up changing their mind and how many stick to their guns and use their own systems.
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