Aston Martin adopts next-gen Apple CarPlay Ultra

Apple has chosen British brand Aston Martin to roll out its next-generation Apple CarPlay Ultra smartphone mirroring service, launching the tech in the US ahead of its Australian arrival in the next 12 months.

Available to iPhone 12 (or later) owners who order their Aston Martin from May 15, 2025, the British car-maker has also confirmed it’s working on a software update for current-gen models that will allow Apple CarPlay Ultra to be retrofitted.

Apple CarPlay Ultra will also soon be offered on Hyundai, Kia and Genesis brands, before the tech is eventually offered to Audi, Ford, Honda, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Polestar, Porsche, Renault and Volvo, as car-makers rush to adopt the most advanced phone mirroring tech yet.

Now capable of displaying Apple CarPlay on the digital instrument cluster, Apple says the interface can also be displayed on any screen within the car.

Tailored for each brand, the new software will come with bespoke layouts that match the car-maker’s fonts and design language.

For the first time Apple CarPlay will offer multiple instrument display themes. In the case of Aston Martin, there’s a classic analogue wallpaper that features a traditional speedo and rev counter, but for those who prefer simplicity there’s an Apple ‘bar’ design display.

For the first time Apple CarPlay can control various parts of the car, like the radio and climate control, which previously demanded users exit the interface.

Physical buttons are now also incorporated, so if you manually dial up the heat, the temperature displayed cranks up at the same rate.

Finally, the home screen can be customised with extra widgets and a choice of different wallpapers.

Even the features not controlled by CarPlay, like the 3D surround sound system, can now be opened within the Apple interface, meaning you never have to close the software.

Differing from before, the new tech only works wirelessly and does not suffer from the lag with which the current system was occasionally hampered – a good thing if you’re relying on CarPlay for an accurate speedometer.

First introduced back in Mach 2014, Apple CarPlay has been steadily improved and updated over the last decade, but the new Ultra version has been heralded as the biggest technological leap forward yet – partly why its late 2024 debut was hit with a five-month delay.

There’s no word yet which brand will be first to introduce Apple CarPlay Ultra Down Under, but the tech should be here within the next 12 months.

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