CarPlay Ultra may soon be available for non-Aston Martin drives, which is nice
The CarPlay Ultra in-car software has been limited to the super rich thus far. Here's when us mere morals might be in with a shot
Apple’s CarPlay Ultra promises a dramatically improved in-car infotainment system, which is much deeper in-tune with the car’s key systems. However, unless you’re rolling in an Aston Martin, you probably won’t have experienced it yet.
I drive a six year-old Honda CRV so I’ve got more chance of winning a Grammy (to use a topical reference) than I have of taking CarPlay Ultra for a spin any time soon. But that doesn’t mean Apple and auto partners can’t get a wriggle on in rolling this out on new vehicles, for those who aren’t going car shopping for James Bond’s favourite mode of transport.
In May last year Apple said Hyundai, Kia and Genesis cars would be receiving the software in the next 12 months. Now Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman has an update. He writes CarPlay Ultra will be available in “at least one major new Hyundai/Kia model in the second half of this year.” If recent reporting from Top Gear proves reliable, this may be the upcoming Hyundai IONIQ 3 EV that’s expected to launch in April.
It won’t be before time. As Stuff’s Spencer Hart wrote last June, after CarPlay Ultra “everything else feels outdated.”
He wrote: “This isn’t just a prettier version of the CarPlay you’ve used before, it’s a complete takeover – one interface stretched seamlessly across all the car’s screens, from the instrument cluster to the centre display. And once you’ve experienced that level of clarity and cohesion, there’s no going back. Android Auto in my own car now feels like a jumbled mess.”
On Sunday, Gurman also reported Tesla is still planning to offer an option for drivers to access CarPlay, despite have its own integrated and advanced in-car offering. Gurman says the two platforms could co-exist with the carmaker’s existing offering and that’s ‘still in the works”. Gurman believes there’ll be more insight on this soon.
Chris Smith
