Automobile manufacturers that had previously pledged support for CarPlay Ultra, Apple’s next-generation of its CarPlay software for automotive infotainment systems, are pushing back.
The Financial Times reports that several major automakers are pushing back on their earlier commitments to support the upgraded dashboard software. The report says German luxury vehicle manufacturers Mercedes-Benz and Audi have both dropped plans to include the system in their products,, along with Volvo, Polestar, and Renault.
Apple’s 2022 announcement originally named 14 automakers as future CarPlay Ultra partners, including:
Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis were later added to the list.
CarPlay Ultra goes far beyond traditional CarPlay by taking control of the entire dashboard experience. It provides information for all of the driver’s screens, including real-time content and gauges in the instrument cluster, while reflecting the automaker’s look and feel and offering drivers a customizable experience.
Apparently, carmakers are reluctant to turn over control of the dashboard to Apple. The reluctant automotive firms fear there will be maintenance issues for their own software experiences, and perhaps more importantly, affect their revenur streams from in-vehicle service subscriptions.
From the FT report:
Some companies have found Apple’s foray into driver screens as over-reach. One executive at Renault, which is developing a vehicle mainly controlled by software with Google and Qualcomm, said the French carmaker told Apple: “Don’t try to invade our own systems.”
Other brands that were included on the 2022 list are also dragging their feet when it comes to CarPlay Ultra adoption, as Jaguar Land Rover said it was still evaluating the system, while Ford and Nissan (and Nissan’s Infiniti brand) say they had no information to share about their future CarPlay Ultra implementations.
While Apple’s standard CarPlay hs proven to be quite popular – Apple say 98% of new U.S. cars include CarPlay – only Aston Martin actually offers CarPlay Ultra in its vehicles. Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis (all sister firms) says they still have plans for CarPlay Ultra, as does Porsche.
Apple insists that more carmakers are planning to use CarPlay Ultra, telling FT, “We’re collaborating closely with automakers to provide the best of iPhone and the best of the car and this work takes time.”