Apple's CarPlay Ultra reportedly shunned by former partners
When Apple first previewed CarPlay Ultra, its new infotainment system that basically takes over a car's own infotainment software, the company named 14 automakers that have committed to one day offering the system in their cars.
Now, a new report by the Financial Times claims several brands from that list have given up on CarPlay Ultra.
First, a quick timeline. Apple first previewed CarPlay Ultra during WWDC 2022, when the system didn't even have a name. The company's list of automakers who were committed to offering CarPlay Ultra was as follows: Acura, Audi, Ford, Honda, Infiniti, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Polestar, Porsche, Renault and Volvo.
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In May 2025, Apple officially rolled out CarPlay Ultra, but only in one Aston Marton model. The company also had an entirely different list of carmakers who have agreed to incorporate CarPlay Ultra at a later date: Genesis, Hyundai, and Kia (it's worth noting that the Hyundai Motor Company owns both the Genesis and the Hyundai brands, as well as a big chunk of Kia Corporation). Not one of the carmakers on Apple's original list were mentioned in the company's May announcement, though Apple did say that "many other automakers around the world are working to bring CarPlay Ultra to drivers."
According to the Financial Times' report, this list now no longer includes Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Renault, Polestar, and Volvo Cars (both Volvo and Polestar are partially owned by Geely). Jaguar Land Rover is still reportedly evaluating CarPlay Ultra; Ford, Nissan and Infiniti had nothing to share with the publication, and Porsche is still committed to Ultra.
Details as to why some brands are quitting are scarce, but it appears the reasoning could boil down to Apple's system being a bit too intrusive, with one unnamed Renault executive telling Apple not to try to "invade" their "own systems." Data sharing also appears to be an issue for some carmakers, though the system installed in Aston Martin's car does not share more data than regular CarPlay.
Apple told the FT that more automakers are joining, though the company said the work to integrate CarPlay Ultra with a car "takes time.
Topics Apple
Stan is a Senior Editor at Mashable, where he has worked since 2007. He's got more battery-powered gadgets and band t-shirts than you. He writes about the next groundbreaking thing. Typically, this is a phone, a coin, or a car. His ultimate goal is to know something about everything.
