Apple's New Automotive Partner

CarPlay Ultra may not be finding too many interested parties, but Apple has a new automotive partner on the software front...

While several automakers are developing their own onboard operating systems (like Mercedes’ MB.OS, Hyundai’s Pleos, and Toyota’s Arene) that also permit smartphone mirroring, Ford is looking at deeper integration of Apple into their future products. Today they announced Apple Maps will be integrated directly into Ford’s upcoming Universal Electric Vehicle (UEV) Platform through Apple’s new MapKit for Automotive SDK.

The UEV platform will hit the market next year in the form of Ford’s Kentucky-built $30,000 electric pickup (rumored to be badged Ranchero), which has already been spotted on test. This partnership means Apple Maps will be built into the vehicle (just as many vehicles today offer Google built-in)--and there are a number of benefits cited:

• Apple Maps data will support development of hands-free driving capability and provide a better overall BlueCruise experience

• Drivers get intelligent EV routing functionality, including battery preconditioning

• With Ford planning additional entries off the UEV platform, those vehicles get the same benefits.

While it’s not the full take-over-the-instrument-cluster-and-controls approach of CarPlay Ultra, as Aston Martin has already done, it’s a step further than plain old smartphone mirroring (which Ford appears to be retaining), especially with the tie-in to EV functionality. Having driven General Motors products with both Google and CarPlay-enabled Apple Maps, I found the latter to be much more user friendly: more legible text, more information (e.g., nearby businesses) and overall far more readable.

One thing missing from the announcement was any reference to other Ford products, so it looks like we’ll have to wait for more information.