Next-Gen Apple CarPlay 'Ultra' Is Here, Only On Aston Martins For Now
Apple CarPlay Ultra debuts first on Aston Martin's lineup of sports cars and the DBX707 super SUV.
The next generation of Apple CarPlay, called CarPlay Ultra, will debut on Aston Martin's lineup of sports cars and SUVs in the United States and Canada for model year 2025. Ahead of the global launch on May 15, Apple and Aston invited me to test drive a DBX707 equipped with the new software to experience how Apple's popular and intuitive user interface (UI) more fully integrates with vehicular functions to improve consumer connectivity in new and innovative ways.
CarPlay traces back to 2013, when Apple first announced 'iOS in the Car.' The first cars to feature CarPlay capabilities then rolled off assembly lines in 2014, and Wireless CarPlay followed in 2017. Today, Apple claims that 98% of cars sold in the United States ship with CarPlay capabilities. Electric vehicles from General Motors make for a notable holdout, for example, since GM only wants to use Google Built-In to better incorporate onboard charge and range data into navigation features. That's a surprising choice, since Apple's research also shows that 79% of car buyers in the US would only consider purchasing a new vehicle if it comes with CarPlay.
CarPlay Ultra takes the increasingly digital automotive experience into relatively uncharted territory, since Ultra extends throughout the vehicle's drive modes, gauge cluster, infotainment, climate controls and more. When I first attempted to connect my iPhone 16 Pro to the DBX707, the setup process therefore took slightly longer than pulling up either wired or Wireless CarPlay on any previous vehicle. A few moments later, however, and Ultra took over both the center touchscreen and the gauge cluster ahead of the steering wheel.
CarPlay Ultra extends the familiar user interface to the DBX707's gauge cluster, as well as the ... More central infotainment screen.
That central infotainment screen now features the familiar iOS homepage from 'traditional' CarPlay. But instead of dipping out to adjust vehicle-specific functions, I could now stay in the Apple suite to fiddle with the DBX707's drive modes, traction control settings, suspension firmness and even the intrusion from advanced driver aids. All while the usual homepage and app layout looked perfectly familiar.
CarPlay Ultra clearly requires a fully digital gauge cluster, and Aston worked with Apple to merge the two companies' design language to retain at least some semblance of historical continuity. In the most classic format, the gauge readout mimics an analog speedometer and tachometer, with fuel level and coolant temp readouts alongside any active cruise control modes, warning lights and other critical driver info. Flipping through various other configurations then revealed a screen inspired by the Apple Watch, or a minimalistic 'digital detox' display and even turn-by-turn map instructions that then complement a wider birds-eye view on the center screen.
The new software still runs through the iPhone itself, yet after that first pairing, when I purposefully turned the DBX707 off and then fired it up again, the screens both immediately booted up in CarPlay Ultra. This is in contrast to more typical delays as a car turns on and then needs a brief period to reconnect to the iPhone and initiate CarPlay connectivity.
The configurable gauge cluster includes an analog-style speedometer and tachometer, with more ... More advanced information included as well.
Ultra expands driver and passenger connectivity alike, too. I added a weather widget to the center screens on a hot Palm Springs day, then also cued up my work calendar to peruse my upcoming schedule. And SharePlay, which allows passenger phones to control music selections, bridges the gap to other third-party apps—I tested Spotify, Waze and OnX Offroad, specifically, without a hitch.
Aston debuted CarPlay Ultra on the DBX707 first, one of the most powerful internal-combustion cars on the planet. But for electric vehicles, the applications extend even further, since Apple's software can now communicate directly with an EV's hardware to more accurately predict range remaining, navigation routes to charging stations and create more accurate predictions for state of charge upon reaching destinations based on traffic, elevation change and weather.
Siri also integrates further, using microphones in the passenger cabin. Yet other functions still required fingering out of CarPlay Ultra, including adjusting the Bowers & Wilkins sound system's equalizer and changing the ambient light settings. Ultra will also not work on passenger-facing screens quite yet, as I've seen on higher-end luxury models from Lamborghini, Cadillac, and Ferrari.
Custom widgets and third-party apps add to CarPlay Ultra's connectivity.
The fact that Aston Martin debuted CarPlay Ultra first came down to the company's ability to quickly and effectively work with Apple's engineers, from both a design and an application standpoint. Ultra is available now for Aston orders placed on or after May 15, 2025, and customers already in possession of eligible models—the Vantage, Vanquish, DB12, and DBX707 for model year 2025, as well as the model year 2024 DB12—can schedule a dealer appointment to update the vehicle's software to activate CarPlay Ultra.
So far, Apple has only confirmed that Hyundai, Kia and Genesis will follow in Aston Martin's footsteps and offer Ultra later this year. But I'll be curious to watch how quickly automaker adoption spreads—and how soon customers begin to demand CarPlay Ultra as a must-have feature. Will the new level of EV functionality even entice GM to end the ban of CarPlay in electrics? Or will drivers start to expect over-the-air updates and generational improvements as often as they purchase new smartphones?
For iPhone users, CarPlay Ultra requires an iPhone 12 or later, and the latest update to iOS 18.5 as well. From the wider business perspective, I left this CarPlay Ultra demonstration wondering whether this less-than-surreptitious positioning as the future of onboard software perhaps prompted Apple, at least in part, to cancel the in-house development of an Apple car in 2024.
The decision to focus on further software integration into existing vehicles, rather than on producing an entirely new vehicle, seems in many ways similar to Tesla pivoting to being more of a power utility than a nuts-and-bolts automaker. For now, I'd expect car owners and prospective buyers to adapt to CarPlay Ultra's intuitive interface quite quickly, meaning that every other automaker needs to start working 'round the clock to catch up to Aston Martin as soon as possible.
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