Apple is facing pushback from the automotive industry over its ‘CarPlay Ultra’, three years after the tech giant unveiled a software system that will occupy the vehicle dashboard for the first time.
German luxury brands Mercedes-Benz and Audi as well as Volvo Cars, Polestar and Renault said they have no plans to bring the upgraded software to their vehicles, despite earlier indications from Apple that they would.
While few have followed General Motors, which announced in 2023 it would stop installing CarPlay or Android Auto on some of its EV models in North America, there is increasing debate as to how much carmakers should allow tech groups to take over the inside of a vehicle.
Some companies have found Apple’s foray into driver screens as over-reach. One executive at Renault, which is developing a vehicle mainly controlled by software with Google and Qualcomm, said the French carmaker told Apple: “Don’t try to invade our own systems.”
CarPlay Ultra connects the vehicle not only to iPhone’s music and maps, but other vehicle information on the dashboard such as temperature, speed and fuel use.
