Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Volvo, Polestar and Renault have ‘no plans’ to adopt Apple’s new CarPlay Ultra despite earlier indications they would, a report claims.
Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Volvo, Polestar and Renault are reportedly among carmakers deciding not to adopt Apple’s new CarPlay Ultra feature – despite earlier indications from the tech giant they would.
Financial Times reports the European-based carmakers have signalled they have “no plans” to implement Apple CarPlay Ultra into their new vehicles, with one Renault executive reportedly telling Apple, “don’t try to invade our own systems”.
Apple CarPlay Ultra was first announced at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference in 2022 as the “next-generation” of its in-car feature.
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However, it only became available earlier this year in the Aston Martin DBX with ‘Ultra’ branding to differentiate it from the standard CarPlay, which first launched in 2014 and will remain available in millions of cars.
The system can take over all infotainment and instrument cluster screens, with key vehicle information such as speed, fuel or battery charge status, and radio and air-conditioning controls viewed with an Apple software interface – rather than the manufacturer’s design.
According to the report, Porsche, Hyundai, Kia and Genesis remain committed to adopting Apple CarPlay Ultra, while Jaguar Land Rover said it would continue to evaluate the system.
Ford, Nissan and Infiniti – also included in Apple’s 2022 list of brands set to add CarPlay Ultra – told Financial Times they had no additional information to share, but did not rule it out.
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Honda and its Acura luxury subsidiary were also included in the list of brands committed to Apple CarPlay Ultra.
Apple CarPlay Ultra is available to owners of a compatible vehicle and an iPhone 12 or newer running iOS 18.5 or later, and it relies on a wireless connection to work as soon as the vehicle is started.
The tech giant’s iOS 26 update – due in September or October – includes updates for standard CarPlay and CarPlay Ultra, such as refreshed graphics, a compact notification for incoming phone calls, ‘Tapback’ emoji responses in Messages, and ‘Live Activities’ from the iPhone’s lock screen.
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