New Apple CarPlay Ultra iPhone Integration Proving Controversial With Automakers
Leery of handing over their cars' dashboards entirely to Apple, some automakers are walking away from Ultra.
Apple CarPlay phone integration has become indispensable for millions of drivers, and the tech giant is hoping that CarPlay Ultra, which expands CarPlay's territory from the touchscreen to the car’s instrument cluster and allows control over core functions like air conditioning, will become its next big thing. Initially it was looking that way, with Apple touting a list of over a dozen automakers that had signed up to include the Ultra software on their cars. Now that the system is finally rolling out to customers, there are reports that automakers are balking at CarPlay Ultra and opting to stick with the standard version instead.
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We suspected this would be a problem, and a report by Financial Times confirms it: automakers don’t want to give up the creative control to design and implement infotainment features on their own, nor are eager to give a third-party—Apple—valuable data on both its customers driving habits and its vehicle systems integrations. One unnamed executive at Renault (one of the automakers touted by Apple as featuring CarPlay Ultra) is said by FT to have told Apple, “Don’t try to invade our own systems.”
Of the 18 automakers that had previously been linked to Apple CarPlay, FT reports that Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Polestar, and Renault are opting out of including the system on their future cars. Volvo confirmed to us FT’s reporting, while Polestar said the brand had “nothing to announce” with regards to its use of CarPlay Ultra. An Audi spokesperson went further, telling us, “While we continue to offer traditional CarPlay on our vehicles, we have chosen not to integrate Apple CarPlay Ultra into our current portfolio of cars as we have just introduced our all-new MMI interface in our latest models: the Q6 e-tron, A5, Q5 and A6 e-tron model lines.” Both Volvo and Polestar have also heavily invested in their own infotainment systems.
The other automakers who had been linked to CarPlay Ultra are Acura, Aston Martin, Ford, Genesis, Honda, Hyundai, Infiniti, Kia, Land Rover, Lincoln, Nissan, and Porsche. We reached out to each of them for comment on their CarPlay Ultra and general infotainment plans.
Ford, Lincoln, Acura, Jaguar, and Land Rover spokespeople told us that their respective brands did not have any comment on the matter.
The Hyundai Motor Group, which includes Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis told us that all three brands still intend to introduce Apple CarPlay Ultra in the future.
Honda, Infiniti, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, and Porsche did not have any official comment as of press time. Porsche has told FT it still planned on supporting CarPlay Ultra in the future.
Apple seems confident in CarPlay Ultra. A source familiar with the Cupertino company's thinking told us, "Automakers ultimately tend to do things that their customers love, and customers are going to love CarPlay Ultra." The tech giant is working closely with automakers to allay their concerns while also tailoring the system to feel bespoke to each manufacturer. The same source also told us that all "driving data is all handled by the car, and isn’t shared with your iPhone." Questions about what data is collected and who can view it were unanswered.
Tesla and Rivian currently don’t offer CarPlay in any form on their vehicles, while GM is phasing it out in favor of a new operating system it built with Google.
Aston Martin is the only automaker to offer CarPlay Ultra right now. In our review of the new system, we found the Apple gauges, climate and radio controls, and iPhone-like widgets to be among the system’s best features. You can read our full review here.
I generally like writing—especially when it’s about cars—but I hate writing about myself. So instead of blathering on about where I was born (New York City, in case you were wondering) or what type of cars I like (all of ’em, as long as it has a certain sense of soul or purpose), I’ll answer the one question I probably get most, right after what’s your favorite car (see above): How’d you get that job? Luck. Well, mostly. Hard work, too. Lots of it. I sort of fell into my major of journalism/mass communication at St. Bonaventure University and generally liked it a lot. In order to complete my degree senior year, we had to spend our last two semesters on some sort of project. Seeing as I loved cars and already spent a good portion of my time reading about cars on sites such as Motor Trend, I opted to create a car blog. I started a Tumblr, came up with a car-related name (The Stig’s American Cousin), signed up for media access on a bunch of manufacturer’s websites, and started writing. I did everything from cover new trim levels to reviewing my friends’ cars. I even wrote a really bad April Fool’s Day post about the next Subaru Impreza WRX being Toyota-Corolla-based. It was fun, and because it was fun, it never felt like work. Sometime after my blog had gotten off the ground, I noticed that Motor Trend was hiring for what’s now our Daily News Team. I sent in my résumé and a link to my blog. I got the job, and two weeks after graduation I made the move from New York to California. I’ve been happily plugging away at a keyboard—and driving some seriously awesome hardware—ever since.
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