Apple CarPlay 2 Finally Lands As ‘CarPlay Ultra’—but Aston Martin Gets It First
NEWS | 18 May 2025
Three years after it was first announced, and following two missed launch promises, with no comment from Apple on when it would actually show up, CarPlay 2 will finally be available in a matter of weeks. And now, it’s called CarPlay Ultra. Aston Martin has announced it will be the first car manufacturer to actually deliver Apple’s long-awaited next-gen in-car experience, with any of its vehicles ordered in the US or Canada from today shipping with CarPlay Ultra installed as standard. Current Aston owners will also be able to get the Ultra update from their dealerships in June, but the car must be running the marque’s most recent infotainment system to make the switch, which launched back in 2023. Owners will also need an iPhone 12 or later running iOS 18.54 or later. The first look at Apple CarPlay Ultra in the driving seat in Aston’s DBX. Current cars that meet this criteria include the Aston Martin DBX SUV, alongside its core sports car models—Vanquish, Vantage, and DB12. This update will also be for US and Canadian owners only for now, but a full market rollout is expected over the next 12 months. As we saw when it was teased at WWDC in 2022, CarPlay Ultra will see Apple’s ecosystem extend from the main infotainment screen to the instrument cluster, merging with the automaker’s design language for a more consistent look and feel across the board.
Author: Marta Abbà. Verity Burns. Aarian Marshall. Carlton Reid. John Voelcker. Fernanda González. Shigeyuki Hando. Julian Chokkattu. Scharon Harding. Ars Technica.
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