CarPlay Ultra has met more resistance than Apple’s launch announcement suggested. BMW has explicitly said it currently has no plans to integrate the system. Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and Renault have reportedly said they do not plan to adopt it, while Polestar’s position has become contradictory. Ford has criticized the first version but has not ruled out a future revision.
That does not mean these automakers are abandoning ordinary Apple CarPlay. CarPlay Ultra is a separate, much deeper system designed to extend Apple’s interface into the instrument cluster and other vehicle displays. The distinction matters if you are shopping for a new car or waiting for an existing vehicle to gain the feature.
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The clearest current picture is a split between automakers that have rejected or declined to commit to CarPlay Ultra, brands whose positions are unclear, and companies still associated with future support.
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| Brand | Reported position | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| BMW | Explicitly says it currently has no plans | BMW is prioritizing its own iDrive X and Panoramic Display strategy while retaining standard CarPlay on the main infotainment display. |
| Audi | Reportedly has no plans | Audi appears to have backed away from its earlier association with next-generation CarPlay. |
| Mercedes-Benz | Reportedly has no plans | The decision is consistent with Mercedes-Benz’s investment in its own software and MBUX-related experience. |
| Volvo | No plans for Ultra, while ordinary CarPlay remains supported | Volvo’s position is a rejection of the deeper dashboard integration, not necessarily of phone projection. |
| Renault | Reportedly declining to commit | Renault was previously associated with the next-generation system but has reportedly moved away from adoption. |
| Polestar | Conflicting reports | An earlier statement described future commitment; later reporting grouped Polestar with brands that had no plans. |
| Ford | Hesitant, not a definitive permanent rejection | CEO Jim Farley criticized the first implementation while reaffirming Ford’s broader commitment to Apple and ordinary CarPlay. |
The language matters. “No plans” describes a company’s present position; it is not proof that the brand can never change direction. The available reporting is also uneven: BMW’s statement is direct, while several other positions come from reports quoting manufacturer responses.
BMW: the clearest current rejection
BMW is the strongest example of a confirmed current “no.” In July 2025, a BMW AG spokesperson told BMWBlog: “BMW currently has no plans to integrate Apple CarPlay Ultra.”
BMW is pursuing its own next-generation cockpit approach, centered on iDrive X and the Panoramic Display. The company’s strategy is to keep its software and display architecture at the center of the driving experience while continuing to offer standard CarPlay on the main infotainment screen.
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Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and Renault: reported no plans
Audi had previously been associated with Apple’s next-generation CarPlay partner announcements. Later reporting said Audi had confirmed that it had no plans to bring CarPlay Ultra to its vehicles. The available evidence indicates a retreat from an earlier association, not a technical statement that Audi vehicles could never support the system.
Mercedes-Benz has likewise been reported as having no plans to adopt CarPlay Ultra. The position is understandable in the context of Mercedes-Benz’s investment in its own software, including Mercedes-Benz Operating System and MBUX-related services. A decision not to adopt Ultra should not automatically be read as a decision to remove standard CarPlay.
Volvo requires an especially important qualification. Reports place Volvo among the automakers with no plans for CarPlay Ultra, but later coverage also indicates that Volvo continues to support ordinary Apple CarPlay. In practical terms, Volvo appears to be saying no to Apple’s expanded dashboard interface rather than no to all Apple phone integration.
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Polestar’s position is unresolved
Polestar cannot be placed confidently in either the firm-no or firm-yes category.
In June 2025, a Polestar spokesperson reportedly told MacRumors that the company remained committed to offering CarPlay Ultra in future electric vehicles. Later reporting grouped Polestar with brands that had said they had no plans to introduce the system.
Until Polestar provides a newer, direct clarification, the safest conclusion is that its position has changed or become unclear. It would be misleading to call Polestar an unequivocal permanent opponent of CarPlay Ultra.
Ford: unhappy with the first version, but not necessarily finished with Apple
Ford belongs in a separate, conditional category. In September 2025, Ford CEO Jim Farley said the company did not like the “execution in round one” of CarPlay Ultra. His criticism focused on the possibility of Apple controlling the entire in-car experience.
Farley also said Ford remained committed to Apple. That combination suggests Ford is not accepting the current implementation, but it does not establish a permanent rejection of every future version of CarPlay Ultra.
Ford also intended to keep ordinary CarPlay and Android Auto available. That is a materially different position from General Motors’ decision to remove those phone-projection systems from certain newer electric vehicles. Ford’s criticism is about the scope and execution of Ultra, not a rejection of smartphone integration altogether.
What makes CarPlay Ultra different from ordinary CarPlay?
Standard CarPlay generally places iPhone apps, navigation, calls, messages, music, and related information on the vehicle’s central infotainment display. The automaker’s own system normally remains responsible for the instrument cluster, climate controls, vehicle settings, and other driving displays.
CarPlay Ultra is intended to extend Apple’s interface across much more of the vehicle. Apple says it can include:
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- Customizable speedometer and tachometer designs
- Maps and media information in the instrument cluster
- Widgets on the driver’s screens
- Vehicle-derived information such as tire pressure
- Advanced-driver-assistance information
- Controls for radio, climate, audio-system configuration, and certain vehicle-specific settings
Drivers can interact with the system using touch controls, physical controls, or Siri. The interface is not meant to be identical in every car: Apple says it works with each automaker’s design team so the presentation can reflect the vehicle brand.
That deeper integration is the reason “CarPlay Ultra” should not be treated as a larger central-screen version of standard CarPlay. It reaches into the part of the vehicle that automakers increasingly regard as their own software product.
Where CarPlay Ultra is actually available
Apple announced on May 15, 2025, that CarPlay Ultra had begun rolling out in the United States and Canada with Aston Martin vehicles. New Aston Martin orders were to receive the system immediately, while compatible existing vehicles were expected to receive a dealer-installed software update.
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Based on the reporting covered here, Aston Martin is the only production rollout specifically confirmed by Apple itself. That does not mean no other vehicle could have gained support later; it means there was no comparable model-by-model production schedule in the available public information.
Apple also named Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis as newly committed brands in May 2025. Commitment is not the same as current availability. The announcement did not provide a complete public list of production models, trims, markets, or delivery dates for those brands.
Other 2025 reporting associated the following brands with future support or earlier commitments:
- Acura
- Honda
- Jaguar
- Land Rover
- Lincoln
- Nissan
- Infiniti
- Ford
- Porsche
These names should be read cautiously. Some were part of earlier next-generation CarPlay partner announcements, and several had not provided meaningful implementation updates. Nissan and Infiniti were particularly uncertain in the available reporting. A brand appearing on an announced-partner list does not prove that CarPlay Ultra is available in a vehicle you can buy today.
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Why are automakers resisting it?
The central issue is control. CarPlay Ultra can occupy the instrument cluster, dashboard displays, climate interface, radio controls, and other vehicle functions. That gives Apple a much larger role in the customer’s daily interaction with the car than standard phone projection does.
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Automakers increasingly view that interaction as part of their product identity and long-term software strategy. BMW’s iDrive X and Panoramic Display approach is one example: BMW wants its own software and visual architecture to remain the primary cockpit experience, with standard CarPlay available as an option rather than allowing an outside platform to define the full dashboard.
There is also a platform problem. CarPlay Ultra requires an iPhone, while automakers must continue to serve drivers using Android phones and people who do not want to connect a phone at all. A deeply integrated Apple layer may therefore require a parallel native system rather than replacing the automaker’s software. That can mean additional design, engineering, support, and update work.
Those considerations are an industry-level explanation, not a stated reason from every automaker on the list. Each brand may weigh software ownership, user experience, licensing, data, safety validation, and future vehicle strategy differently. But the product’s scope makes the strategic conflict clear: Ultra is asking automakers to share control of the most visible part of the vehicle.
CarPlay Ultra timeline
- June 2022: Apple previewed the next generation of CarPlay and announced prospective automaker partners. The system was initially expected before the end of 2024.
- May 15, 2025: Apple announced the first rollout with Aston Martin in the United States and Canada.
- May 2025: Apple named Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis as newly committed brands.
- June–July 2025: Reports documented no-plan statements, withdrawals, or uncertainty involving Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Polestar, Renault, BMW, and others.
- September 2025: Ford CEO Jim Farley criticized the first implementation while reaffirming Ford’s broader commitment to Apple and standard CarPlay.
What this means if you are buying a car
Do not confuse standard CarPlay with CarPlay Ultra
A vehicle can continue to offer ordinary CarPlay while rejecting Ultra. BMW and Volvo are important examples in the available reporting, and Ford also reaffirmed its support for standard CarPlay. Conversely, a vehicle advertised as having Apple CarPlay does not necessarily have the instrument-cluster and vehicle-control features associated with Ultra.
Check the exact model, trim, market, and software version
Automaker announcements generally do not answer the questions buyers actually need to ask: Which model gets Ultra? Which trim? Is it included at delivery? Does it work in the buyer’s country? Can an existing vehicle receive it? Until a manufacturer publishes those details, a broad brand-level promise is not enough.
The Aston Martin rollout illustrates why. Apple described immediate support for new orders and a dealer-installed software update for compatible existing vehicles, but that does not establish a universal retrofit path for other brands.
Check the iPhone requirement
Apple’s launch documentation says CarPlay Ultra requires an iPhone 12 or later running iOS 18.5 or later. Meeting that requirement is necessary, but it is not sufficient: the vehicle must also have manufacturer-supported Ultra hardware and software.
An eligible iPhone cannot turn standard CarPlay into CarPlay Ultra in an unsupported car. Nor should an aftermarket wireless adapter or head unit be assumed to provide Ultra’s instrument-cluster and vehicle-control integration. The system is developed jointly with the automaker, so compatibility depends on the vehicle implementation.
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The bottom line on the “no” list
Apple’s ambitious dashboard expansion has not become a universal successor to standard CarPlay.
BMW has explicitly said it currently has no plans to integrate CarPlay Ultra. Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and Renault have been reported as having no plans or as declining to commit. Polestar’s public position is contradictory, and Ford is dissatisfied with the first version without ruling out a later one.
At the same time, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, and several other brands remain associated with future support, while Aston Martin is the confirmed launch partner in the reporting available here. The responsible way to describe the market is therefore not “automakers have rejected CarPlay Ultra,” but that Apple’s first rollout has encountered substantial resistance and remains highly dependent on brand, model, market, and future software decisions.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is CarPlay Ultra the same as regular Apple CarPlay?
No. Standard CarPlay primarily projects iPhone apps and information onto the central infotainment screen. CarPlay Ultra is designed to extend into the instrument cluster and other displays, with access to information and controls such as tire pressure, driver-assistance data, climate, radio, and audio settings.
Which automaker has explicitly said it has no plans for CarPlay Ultra?
BMW is the clearest example. A BMW AG spokesperson told BMWBlog in July 2025 that BMW “currently has no plans to integrate Apple CarPlay Ultra.” Other reports have identified Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and Renault as having no plans or as declining to commit.
Does Volvo’s position mean Volvo is dropping standard CarPlay?
Not necessarily. The available reporting distinguishes Volvo’s reported rejection of CarPlay Ultra from its continued support for ordinary Apple CarPlay.
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Apple said compatible existing Aston Martin vehicles were expected to receive a dealer-installed software update. There is no general retrofit schedule in the available reporting for other brands, and an iPhone or aftermarket adapter alone should not be assumed to provide Ultra’s deeper vehicle integration.
What iPhone is required for CarPlay Ultra?
Apple’s launch documentation specifies an iPhone 12 or later running iOS 18.5 or later. The vehicle must also be an automaker-supported CarPlay Ultra model.
The Bottom Line
CarPlay Ultra is available, but its future is far from settled. Aston Martin launched it in the United States and Canada, while Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis were named as committed brands. BMW has said it currently has no plans, several other automakers have reportedly declined, Polestar’s position is unclear, and Ford is asking Apple to improve the first implementation. For buyers, the key question is not whether a brand supports “CarPlay,” but whether the exact vehicle, trim, market, and software version support CarPlay Ultra.
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