apple dominates the car’s OS: a deep dive into ‘CarPlay Ultra,’ first in an Aston Martin

apple CarPlay Ultra, Apple‘s next-generation infotainment system that shook up the automotive industry when it was first unveiled at WWDC in 2022, is finally a reality. british luxury sports car brand Aston Martin is the world’s first to equip its new models with the system, marking a new chapter in the in-car digital experience. It’s the first step in Apple’s grand ambition to move beyond simply “mirroring” a smartphone screen and into the car’s operating system (OS) itself.

‘Seamless integration’ beyond simple mirroring

whereas previous CarPlay was merely a ‘monitor’ that displayed the smartphone’s operations on the screen, CarPlay Ultra is deeply integrated with the car’s core systems. in addition to displaying vehicle data like speedometer and fuel level on the instrument panel, you can control unique vehicle functions like climate control and radio directly from within the CarPlay interface.

• take control of the instrument cluster: Apple’s UI extends to all displays in the vehicle, especially the digital instrument cluster in front of the driver. speed, RPM, maps, media information, and more are all presented in Apple’s design language.
• control vehicle functions: Air conditioning, heating seats, changing radio frequencies, and other controls that were previously only available outside of CarPlay can now be controlled directly from within CarPlay via Siri voice commands or the touchscreen.
• manufacturer customization: Apple provides tools for manufacturers to customize graphics and themes so that they can maintain their brand identity. aston Martin has also developed a dedicated theme that reflects its design philosophy.

the experience in the Aston Martin DBX 707

as the world’s first car with CarPlay Ultra, the Aston Martin DBX 707 offers drivers a completely new experience. connecting an iPhone automatically boots up CarPlay Ultra without any interaction, and both the 10.25-inch center screen and digital instrument cluster are powered by Apple’s UI. using the steering wheel’s touchpad, the driver can freely switch between different layouts, from an analog-style instrument cluster to a full screen map, and some vehicle-specific functions, such as audio tuning, use a “punch-through UI,” meaning that the existing vehicle screen appears inside CarPlay, keeping the experience consistent.

manufacturers’ frostbite dreams: welcome and restraint

in addition to Aston Martin, Porsche, Ford, Volvo, Renault, and many others have confirmed CarPlay Ultra adoption. But not all manufacturers are happy to hand over the reins to Apple. GM took the high road by withdrawing its support for CarPlay, and the CEO of Mercedes-Benz has also weighed in, saying “we can’t hand over the entire instrument cluster to an outside company.” This means that the battle for control of the vehicle data and digital ecosystem between automakers and big tech companies has begun in earnest.

release timeline and requirements

apple CarPlay Ultra will be standard on new Aston Martin vehicles sold in the US and Canada starting May 15, 2025, including the DBX, DB12, and Vantage. some older models released after 2023 may also be supported through a software update. the system requires an iPhone 12 or later modelwith iOS 18.5 or later.