Last Year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the advanced version of its CarPlay infotainment software system for vehicle, and car makers have been slow to include it in their new vehicles. While only Aston Martin offers it in its latest luxury vehicles, that should change in the coming months.
CarPlay Ultra 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. In May 2025, Apple said automakers around the world were working to bring CarPlay Ultra to drivers. However, some car makers have since walked back on that commitment.
The original announcement included Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis among the car companies said to be planning to include CarPlay Ultra in their vehicles. (It should be noted that those three companies are sister companies, owned by the same corporation.)
Now, it appears that the above listed vehicle makers are making good on their promise, as in his Power On newsletter on Sunday, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman said he has been told that CarPlay Ultra will come to at least one major new Hyundai or Kia vehicle model “in the second half of this year.” Gurman did not specify which models would boast the new technology, so it is unclear if one of the models he is referring to is Hyundai’s upcoming IONIQ 3, as previously reported, or if it will be a different model.
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, as they likely fear there will be maintenance issues for their own software experiences, and perhaps more importantly, affect their revenue streams from in-vehicle service subscriptions.
Among the car brands that have expressed reluctance to offer CarPlay Ultra are BMW,Ford, and Rivian. General Motors has dropped support of regular CarPlay in their electric vehicles in favor of their own infotainment software, so it is likely to also pass on including CarPlay Ultra in its cars and trucks.
