Here’s How Ford Cars Will Likely Utilize Apple CarPlay Ultra

For literal years now, we’ve known that Apple CarPlay is set to evolve in a major way moving forward – in fact, it was back in June 2022 when we learned that the next-generation version of Apple CarPlay will take over all of the screens present in modern automobiles, including not only the infotainment screen, but also, the digital instrument cluster and other in-vehicle screens. As Ford Authority reported back in January, that sort of feature won’t be coming to Ford models anytime soon, but now, we’re getting another preview of the forthcoming tech.

What’s now known as CarPlay Ultra will make its debut on the Aston Martin DBX707 and that brand’s future models, marking the global launch of the next-generation version of that software. As expected, the new CarPlay provides a more seamless experience across a vehicle’s center screen and instrument cluster, meaning that users can view apps like Apple Maps in their line of sight. Media and wallpapers flow across both screens as well.

The driver interface also displays a variety of information such as speed, RPM, fuel level, gear selection, and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, as well as alerts including tire pressure warnings via pop up messages. On top of that, CarPlay Ultra provides access to a vehicle’s heating and ventilation, 3D camera views, advanced parking systems, audio settings, dynamic vehicle configurations, and active safety systems.

Users can customize this experience as well, choosing from a collection of graphics, themes, colors, textures, and patterns, including gradients, landscapes, and topographical options for each theme. There are also quite a few customizable widgets to choose from, which display real-time information such as trip duration, fuel economy, calendar events, and weather updates, and they can be tailored to individual preferences and displayed across different screens, to boot. For now at least, this is all specific to Aston Martin vehicles, but it does give us a preview of what we can expect to see when CarPlay Ultra eventually lands in Ford models.