That's probably the main reason. Another could be wanting to wait and see what happens in the DOJ case against Apple. Could rulings or concessions in that case regarding Apple's iPhone ecosystem controls, restrictions, interoperability, etc. end up impacting, for better or worse, the future "appeal" of CarPlay Ultra? Automakers may want to know this before spending too much money and effort working towards integrating it into their vehicles.
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Apple, Where is CarPlay Ultra?
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That's probably the main reason. Another could be wanting to wait and see what happens in the DOJ case against Apple. Could rulings or concessions in that case regarding Apple's iPhone ecosystem controls, restrictions, interoperability, etc. end up impacting, for better or worse, the future "appeal" of CarPlay Ultra? Automakers may want to know this before spending too much money and effort working towards integrating it into their vehicles.
A friend of mine makes software that ends up in multiple cars and said it’s crazy how slow development is with ”older” manufacturers.
And also how different Chinese manufacturers are.
Part of it is just planning, and part because they use different hardware in almost every car optimised heavily for cost meaning lots of fidgeting around just to get it to run and a lot more to make it smooth.
Apple should just start building Car Play head units to compete with Android head units. They would get a massive market boost to move forward. The concept of changing your car’s head unit is very common but the Android software/hardware offerings are quite low quality compared to Apple products. I wanted to put an iPad in my car yers ago as a head unit replacement, but it was just too messy. But I would buy in if Apple made head units for cars.
IIGS User
macrumors 68000
I was going to say it’s hanging out with Air Power or the the Mark Twain/ROM 4 IIGS.
Carmakers have rightly been pressured to return common controls to physical knobs or dials that can be operated with less driver attention than layered touchscreens. I'm sure Apple would have among the best screen software, but knobs > screens.
In May 2025, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of CarPlay that it first previewed in 2022. More than a year later, however, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to select Aston Martin vehicles with six-figure price tags.
In a press release last year, Apple said "many" other vehicle brands around the world planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis. Yet, more than 15 months have passed since that announcement, and the software has still not expanded beyond Aston Martin. Apple has not provided any further updates on CarPlay Ultra availability.
CarPlay Ultra features deeper integration with a vehicle's instrument cluster and systems, built-in apps for radio and climate controls, rear-view camera feed support, and more. The connected iPhone provides app-related data, while the vehicle provides information like the current speed, fuel level, tire pressure, engine temperature, and more.
The interface is tailored to each vehicle model and automaker's identity, and drivers can choose from various preset design options.
Earlier this year, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said he was told that CarPlay Ultra would come to at least one major new Hyundai or Kia vehicle model "in the second half of this year," so hopefully the software finally expands beyond Aston Martin over the final four months of 2026. We have reached out to Apple for comment.
Article Link: Apple, Where is CarPlay Ultra?
decimortis
macrumors 6502a
I don't know anything about the inner workings of infotainment / CarPlay development but Hyundai is now moving to their Pleos infotainment system which looks a lot different from the dual 12.3" screens they've been rocking for the past several years, so if Apple was developing CarPlay Ultra with the dual 12.3's in mind, Hyundai suddenly switching to a single iPad shaped screen and tiny instrument panel screen probably sent Apple back to formula.
Smart people buy and hold onto their cars for 10+ years... if car companies were SMART they would enable all these features but make you pay a monthly fee for access to them. Then they can make money on people that want their car to feel like an Apple car. Not giving us the option at all is just frustrating. I bought a VW ID.4 in 2022 with the promise from the CEO at the time that over-the-air updates would occur at minimum 4 times a year. They failed at this promise and I will never buy another VW again for life because of it. I like how my VW ID.4 ev drives.. but the software is a mess and they won't update it any further unless you buy a new model. Thank god it works with Carplay so I never have to see the buggy VW software sign too much. Say what you will about Tesla and Elon musk.. but their software is light years ahead of all other car companies and it gets updated across the board.
The fact that gemini can take over my Honda Touring According 2025. There should be no FREAKING EXCUSE THAT IT CANT GET APPLE CARPLAY ULTRA
CMON WHAT THE FLYING FREAK ARE WE DOING STOP PLAYING IN MY FACE APPLE
CMON WHAT THE FLYING FREAK ARE WE DOING STOP PLAYING IN MY FACE APPLE
Not at all surprised. Car manufacturers are very slow to support CarPlay. Not sure how many vehicles will have it in the future.
Ted_Appleseed
macrumors regular
Hope to see more CarPlay Ultra-compatible cars available soon, especially for non-luxury cars.
I made a spreadsheet of CarPlay Ultra + car key compatibility for major car brands: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ril-2026.2459898/?post=33985975#post-33985975
I made a spreadsheet of CarPlay Ultra + car key compatibility for major car brands: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ril-2026.2459898/?post=33985975#post-33985975
zarmanto
macrumors 65816
I've seen multiple variations on this theme over the past several months -- even several times in this very thread. While I don't disagree as to the likelihood of that explanation being at least pretty close to the correct one, I'm still left mentally railing at the automakers, "But why?? You people suck at UIs!" And that's the bottom line for me, as a consumer and eventual new car buyer.
I drive a very reliable slightly older car, and the notion of replacing it before it outright kicks the bucket... well, it's just not in the cards -- unless the experience in the new vehicle is somehow heads-and-shoulders above my current experience, and yet still reasonably within the budget. On both fronts, Apple's CarPlay Ultra gives the automaker an advantage: Apple doesn't charge licensing fees, and their interface is better than anything that the traditional automakers are ever going to come up with, no matter how much money they throw at it. It just doesn't make any sense for the automakers to not take advantage of Apple's offer of free labor and a better product.
As to the subscriptions... that's a red herring. Ignoring ridiculous ideas like BMW and their seat warmers debacle... the reality is, nobody is going to pay for a music subscription that duplicates one they already have on their phone -- but they might pay for one that parks their car for them, or the like. CarPlay doesn't take that option away from the automaker.
TLDR: It's all about knowing where you can add real value... and admitting when someone else has already bested you.
CarPlay Ultra is not going to get wide support.
We are entering an era where EVs from Hyundai and EVs from BMW are increasingly harder to differentiate for the average car driver. There are differences but on the things a non-enthusiast would notice are blurred because everyone can make a torquey electric motor that hauls ass off the line.
So the real differentiator for brands where every vehicle is a bit commodified on powertrain will be: how much range you can pack, how quick it can charge in theory, and interior quality.
Surrendering an essential aspect of the interior to Apple just damns the car manufacturer even more to commodification.
We are entering an era where EVs from Hyundai and EVs from BMW are increasingly harder to differentiate for the average car driver. There are differences but on the things a non-enthusiast would notice are blurred because everyone can make a torquey electric motor that hauls ass off the line.
So the real differentiator for brands where every vehicle is a bit commodified on powertrain will be: how much range you can pack, how quick it can charge in theory, and interior quality.
Surrendering an essential aspect of the interior to Apple just damns the car manufacturer even more to commodification.
Taking a wild guess I imagine the other manufacturers did not wish to give up important controls and graphics to Apple for speedometers etc? A case of it sounded cool at the time and they thought yeah ok, but when they looked into it they decided against it. Hence very few are with it?
That and I guess also it seems more and more are starting to reject giant touch screens and no buttons for anything in cars, I think the worst example of this is having motorised air vents you have to direct using a touch screen, utterly pointless design over function rather then a simple knob on the air vent and you know it'll break one day.
That and I guess also it seems more and more are starting to reject giant touch screens and no buttons for anything in cars, I think the worst example of this is having motorised air vents you have to direct using a touch screen, utterly pointless design over function rather then a simple knob on the air vent and you know it'll break one day.