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Apple is facing mounting resistance from automakers over CarPlay Ultra, the next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles that was announced last month.

Apple-CarPlay-Ultra-cluster-Now-Playing.jpg

A new (paywalled) Financial Times report claims several major brands are walking back their earlier commitments to support the upgraded dashboard software. German luxury manufacturers Mercedes-Benz and Audi have both distanced themselves from the system, along with Volvo, Polestar, and Renault.

It's a major retreat from Apple's 2022 announcement, which originally named 14 automakers as future CarPlay Ultra partners, including all of those mentioned above.

CarPlay Ultra goes far beyond traditional CarPlay by taking control of the entire dashboard experience. The system displays vehicle information like temperature, speed, and fuel levels alongside iPhone apps, creating what Apple calls "a unified and consistent experience across all the driver's screens."

Mercedes-Benz had previously expressed reluctance to cede dashboard control to Apple. Now other premium brands are following suit, citing concerns about maintaining their own software experiences and revenue streams from in-car services. From the 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."
As for other car brands that were included in Apple's original 2022 list, Jaguar Land Rover said it was still evaluating the system, while Ford and Nissan along with its Infiniti brand said they had no information to share about future implementation.

BMW – which was not named in Apple's original list of partners – said it would integrate the existing Apple CarPlay with its new design, but not CarPlay Ultra, according to FT. Meanwhile, Audi said its focus was to offer drivers "a customized and seamless digital experience," so it would not use CarPlay Ultra, though the standard version was available on its vehicles.

The pushback comes despite standard CarPlay's overwhelming popularity – Apple claims 98% of new US cars include standard CarPlay, with drivers using it over 600 million times daily.

Currently, only Aston Martin offers CarPlay Ultra in production vehicles. Hyundai and its Kia and Genesis cars remain committed partners, while Porsche plans future support. Other originally announced brands like Ford and Nissan have provided no updates on their CarPlay Ultra plans.

Despite the walk-backs, Apple told FT that more carmakers using CarPlay Ultra are on the way. "We're collaborating closely with automakers to provide the best of iPhone and the best of the car and this work takes time," Apple said.

Article Link: These Apple CarPlay Ultra Partners Now Say They Won't Support It
 
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Does anyone really care? I don’t need my dashboard to be full on Apple, I just want to play my music and get directions.
I care because have you used the interfaces from these cars? Also, the Apple would be able to add themes/new items as long as you have an iPhone vs. the carmaker not doing anything.

I get carmakers don't want to give up control though - but their behavior won't benefit the customer in this scenario.
 
Well who knows what Apple wants the manufacturers to do in return? Also, I think there will be somewhat of a return from all the displays back to physical buttons for basic controls (at least in Europe from 2026). The current carplay "non-ultra" is enough,
 
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"revenue streams from in-car services"
This alone tells us enough that is not about the user experience.
When will these greedy companies realize people are sick and tired of being robbed by subscription "services"?
Meanwhile, so many of these automakers are happy to sign up with Google Automotive Service. 🥲

100%... this tells me everything I really need to know about the manufactures.
 
I care because have you used the interfaces from these cars? Also, the Apple would be able to add themes/new items as long as you have an iPhone vs. the carmaker not doing anything.

I get carmakers don't want to give up control though - but their behavior won't benefit the customer in this scenario.
your examples are pretty bad if you expect people to want to shell out extra money so they can change their carplay theme and send emoji's from the dashboard. comon man!
 


Apple is facing mounting resistance from automakers over CarPlay Ultra, the next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles that was announced last month.

Apple-CarPlay-Ultra-cluster-Now-Playing.jpg

A new (paywalled) Financial Times report claims several major brands are walking back their earlier commitments to support the upgraded dashboard software. German luxury manufacturers Mercedes-Benz and Audi have both distanced themselves from the system, along with Volvo, Polestar, and Renault.

It's a major retreat from Apple's 2022 announcement, which originally named 14 automakers as future CarPlay Ultra partners, including all of those mentioned above.

CarPlay Ultra goes far beyond traditional CarPlay by taking control of the entire dashboard experience. The system displays vehicle information like temperature, speed, and fuel levels alongside iPhone apps, creating what Apple calls "a unified and consistent experience across all the driver's screens."

Mercedes-Benz had previously expressed reluctance to cede dashboard control to Apple. Now other premium brands are following suit, citing concerns about maintaining their own software experiences and revenue streams from in-car services. From the report:
As for other car brands that were included in Apple's original 2022 list, Jaguar Land Rover said it was still evaluating the system, while Ford and Nissan along with its Infiniti brand said they had no information to share about future implementation.

BMW – which was not named in Apple's original list of partners – said it would integrate the existing Apple CarPlay with its new design, but not CarPlay Ultra, according to FT. Meanwhile, Audi said its focus was to offer drivers "a customized and seamless digital experience," so it would not use CarPlay Ultra, though the standard version was available on its vehicles.

The pushback comes despite standard CarPlay's overwhelming popularity – Apple claims 98% of new US cars include standard CarPlay, with drivers using it over 600 million times daily.

Currently, only Aston Martin offers CarPlay Ultra in production vehicles. Hyundai and its Kia and Genesis cars remain committed partners, while Porsche plans future support. Other originally announced brands like Ford and Nissan have provided no updates on their CarPlay Ultra plans.

Despite the walk-backs, Apple told FT that more carmakers using CarPlay Ultra are on the way. "We're collaborating closely with automakers to provide the best of iPhone and the best of the car and this work takes time," Apple said.

Article Link: These Apple CarPlay Ultra Partners Now Say They Won't Support It
These car companies hold a 100% monopoly on their car users so let's see the EU step in and mandate they open access to Apple. Let the car owners decide who they want to use.
 
When the in car entertainment morphs into the actual data used by the driver to monitor the car (speed, revs, fuel etc) things may get spicy pretty quickly. When you select the wrong music track or your WhatsApp message gets delayed, no issue. When CarPlay crashes and you don't know how fast you are going...

Car manufacturers need to keep the critical systems info under their control.
 
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I know why some of them are resistant, they’re watching GM completely ditch CarPlay and Android Auto to try and sell more services to their customers. CarPlay and Android Auto would hurt their ability to sell you their services in the future if they want to lock out your phone from the entire dashboard.

If they’ll do it to Apple, it’ll likely happen to Google as well.
 
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