Following its exclusive 2025 debut in Aston Martin vehicles, Apple's high-integration CarPlay Ultra system is finally expanding. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, at least one major new Hyundai or Kia model will feature CarPlay Ultra in the second half of this year. This marks a significant step from its current limited availability in ultra-luxury cars, potentially making it accessible in a more affordable vehicle.
While the rollout has been slow due to the need for deep collaboration with automakers, this move could give Apple leverage to promote the system more widely. Separately, Gurman notes that regular Apple CarPlay and CarKey support are coming to Tesla vehicles. Tesla is reportedly developing a secondary screen option to run CarPlay without interfering with its native software, offering a compromise for customer demand.
CarPlay remains popular for seamlessly integrating iPhone features like Maps, Music, and Messages into the driving experience. Recent iOS updates have added new functionalities, and the anticipated next-generation Siri is expected to further enhance in-car usability.