Summary
The Google/Apple fight is also moving to cars. And while we don’t have a clear winner yet, despite Apple having a few car makers lined up for CarPlay Ultra, it seems these car makers have begun backing out. For once, it might not be Apple’s fault.
A growing number of major automakers are pumping the brakes (pun very much intended) on their commitment to Apple’s next-generation CarPlay Ultra. The company is now facing a calculated retreat from several key players who were initially onboard, who reportedly fear losing control over their brand identity and lucrative in-car revenue streams. As a reminder, the “Ultra” iteration of CarPlay is designed to take over the entire digital dashboard, including the instrument cluster directly in front of the driver. This would allow the system to display vital vehicle information such as speed, fuel levels, and climate controls, all within a unified and customizable Apple-designed interface. This is a step up from thecurrent implementation of CarPlay, which is limited to your car’s entertainment system.
Who’s backing out? German luxury powerhouses Mercedes-Benz and Audi have now distanced themselves from their earlier commitments to support CarPlay Ultra. They are joined by Volvo, its electric offshoot Polestar, and French automaker Renault. And the reason seems to be down to carmakers wanting to keep control of the software that runs in their own cars. After all, CarPlay Ultra is, essentially, an operating system for the whole car. Automakers are investing heavily in developing their own proprietary software experiences to then generate post-sale revenue through subscriptions and services. It’s all about money, as you might expect. An executive from Renault, which is collaborating with Google and Qualcomm on its own software-defined vehicle, reportedly bluntly told Apple, “Don’t try to invade our own systems.”
It should be noted that not all of Apple’s initial partners have abandoned the project. British luxury marque Aston Martin is the first and, so far, only manufacturer to ship vehicles with CarPlay Ultra. Porsche remains committed to future implementation, as do the Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis brands, which have recently reaffirmed their partnership with Apple.
Other automakers that were part of the original 2022 announcement have remained non-committal. Jaguar Land Rover has stated it is still evaluating the system, while Ford and Nissan, along with their Infiniti luxury division, have not provided any recent updates on their plans. BMW, which was not on Apple’s original list, has confirmed it will integrate the standard CarPlay into its new designs but will forgo the more invasive CarPlay Ultra.
This might also be a problem that Google faces with Android Automotive as it pushes for car makers to adopt the operating system as well. We’ll have to wait and see how this turns out, but it’s certainly bad news for those who were hoping for a unified car OS across multiple brands and makers.
