Aston Martin has become the first automaker in the world to offer deeper integration of Apple CarPlay in its vehicle’s infotainment system with the debut of the new Apple CarPlay Ultra.
Having been in development for a number of years, both Porsche and Aston Martin revealed in 2023 that they would be among the first to offer Apple’s latest infotainment offering, but the British sports car maker has beaten all other manufacturers to it.
Apple CarPlay Ultra builds on the existing CarPlay platform by taking over both the infotainment head unit and the vehicle’s digital instrument cluster for the first time.
The new CarPlay will initially be limited to the new Aston Martin DBX on models ordered in North America and Canada, but is coming to other Aston cars and regions over the next 12 months. Apple also says it's working with Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis to bring CarPlay Ultra to more models.
Want to know what all the fuss is about? Here are four things you need to know, plus a gallery of images to show what CarPlay Ultra looks like in Aston Martin's latest drive...
1. It offers a more personal experience
Now, drivers can select between a number of Aston Martin-designed digital options for the speedometer and tachometer dials, while the ability to toggle between live maps from a preferred navigation provider, as well as media applications, gives owners a way to "curate their own multi-screen set-up," according to James Bond's favorite brand.
What’s more, the British marque has also provided a number of different instrument cluster themes, as well as the ability to tailor wallpapers, color schemes and the general look to their personal tastes.
The key to making the tie-up work was to ensure Aston Martin had full control over design, with Apple claiming CarPlay Ultra allows automakers to "express their distinct design philosophy with the look and feel their customers expect".
2. It offers everything in one place
One of the biggest bugbears about the current CarPlay environment is that users often have to leave it in order to interact with key vehicle functionality, such as changing driving modes or adjusting the climate control, for example.
Apple CarPlay Ultra banishes this sort of behavior to the naughty step and finally allows drivers to tweak the radio station, adjust the climate control or fire up the heated seats from within the Ultra interface via touchscreen controls, physical buttons, or by using Siri voice commands.
Better still, the British marque talks about “Punch-through UI”, which essentially means its has been able to bring very vehicle-specific menus and settings into the CarPlay environment for the first time.
So, if you wan’t to adjust the balance and fader on the swanky Bowers & Wilkins, it is possible to do so through a specific menu screen that is housed within the CarPlay Ultra environment.
3. It has a highly customizable cluster with more info
Aston says customers can also select from a number of widgets that can reside on either the 10.25-inch infotainment screen or on the digital driver display for a highly customizable cluster. This could include things like tyre pressure monitoring, weather forecasts or advanced driver assistance system settings.
Although it is not explicitly mentioned by Aston Martin or Apple, it is understood that owners will need to initially pair an iPhone 12 or later (running iOS 18.54 and later) either by plugging it in or choosing the wireless option.
The system will the automatically recognize the handset and the driver every time they enter the vehicle, even going to far as to knowing the region they are from, adjusting the units of measurement accordingly.
Of course, it opens up easy access to things like email, WhatsApp messages and the ability to hop on Zoom calls, all without having to juggle between interfaces.
4. It's coming to other car brands
Unfortunately, Android users won’t be able to enjoy a similar sort of Android Automotive experience in the car, seeing as this is a specific Apple tie-up.
Instead, Aston Martin provides physical buttons and switches for most of its functionality and explains that its next-generation infotainment system, which debuted on the all-new DB12 in 2023, is perfectly a perfectly decent digital offering as it is.
Also, CarPlay Ultra is currently limited to the new Aston Martin DBX, and only those models ordered in North America and Canada for now. Although it will be rolled out to other Aston models and markets in the coming 12 months.
What’s more, Apple said it is working with a number of automakers to bring CarPlay Ultra into a variety of new models soon, including those from Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis.
Aston Martin's 10.25-inch Pure Black touchscreen technology is relatively modest compared to many rivals, so it will be interesting to see what other manufacturers can do with larger and more impressive screen arrays.
Apple Arcade while waiting to charge up, anyone?
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