Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Volvo Cars No Longer Plan to Adopt CarPlay Ultra: Report

Apple’s reimagined and deeply integrated software for vehicles, called CarPlay Ultra, finally rolled out earlier this year after the company failed to meet its 2024 target, and that too only on one ultra-luxury model from Aston Martin. Originally announced at Apple’s WWDC event in mid-2022, the software then known as “next-gen CarPlay” was supposed to be adopted first by Porsche and Aston Martin, with a long list of automakers to follow.

Mercedes-Benz publicly confirmed it was not planning to offer CarPlay Ultra after all in mid-2024, while Porsche showed off its own new “digital experience” for new models without any mention of Apple’s expanded software capabilities. Now, a Financial Times report states that Audi, Volvo Cars, Renault, and Polestar have also pulled out.

Reasons for dropping plans to adopt CarPlay Ultra reportedly range from not wanting to let Apple control so much of the user experience, to concerns about not being able to monetise online services. Industry analysts had highlighted such potential issues in response to CarPlay Ultra and its lack of early traction, also pointing out that manufacturers would likely not be able to collect as much user behaviour data with third-party software as they would with their own. 

However, there is no information that Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis do not remain committed to CarPlay Ultra. The three sister brands were named as future CarPlay Ultra partners in Apple’s launch announcement this year. Other companies named in Apple's initial 2022 announcement included Nissan, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Ford, Infiniti, and Acura were notably absent. Some manufacturers such as General Motors and Tesla remain resistant even to standard CarPlay, preferring to offer only their own software.

CarPlay Ultra takes over all the displays in a vehicle, including the driver’s digital instrument cluster in addition to the central infotainment screen. In addition to entertainment, navigation and communication features, CarPlay Ultra also integrates controls over a car’s subsystems such as climate control, ADAS, telematics, rear-view cameras, drive modes, status indicators, and more. 

Manufacturers can design their own style for instrument gauges and indicators, even offering multiple styles or templates that drivers can choose from and customise. Apple has published developer documentation showing how carmakers can scale the UI to any size or shape of screen, and also ensure that the co-branded experience is consistent with their deisgn goals and brand identities. 

CarPlay Ultra likely gives us a glimpse of what Apple had planned for its own electric and autonomous car project, which was never officially announced, but widely known to have been in development before it was cancelled and shuttered. Rivals such as Sony, Xiaomi, and Huawei are investing heavily in partnerships or in-house car development as part of their wider strategies to control entire ecosystems of products and services used by their customers.