Aston Martin debuts CarPlay Ultra: the iPhone becomes the ideal travel companion

Technologies such as Apple CarPlay or Android Auto changed, over a decade ago, the way drivers interact with their vehicles when carrying out everyday tasks such as entering an address in the navigation system, making a call or selecting the desired music on the multimedia system. A few years ago, several devices were needed to do all of this – a hands-free kit, the car’s CD radio, a GPS navigator… – but now we carry everything in our smartphone. And, thanks to CarPlay or Android Auto, in the car too.

Today we will focus on CarPlay, the system iPhone users use to interact with their smartphone through the vehicle’s screen and controls without taking their attention off the road. We all know it and use it widely (this one, or its Android counterpart) every time we get behind the wheel. But what Aston Martin and Apple have now presented takes connectivity and multimedia personalization to a new level.

Apple CarPlay Ultra, Apple’s ecosystem in the vehicle

The result of more than two years of work between the infotainment teams of Aston Martin and Apple, the CarPlay Ultra system redefines the relationship between the driver, the smartphone and the vehicle. When the iPhone is connected – an automatic process if the phone has already been paired previously – both the vehicle’s central screen and the instrument cluster adopt a new visual design that replaces the car’s native system, without sacrificing functionality or the brand’s character.

CarPlay Ultra, unlike its ‘younger sibling’, extends to all of the vehicle’s screens and integrates real-time information from both the iPhone and the car itself. From the classic navigation maps and multimedia content to vehicle-specific indicators: speed, rev counter, consumption, tyre pressure or driver assistance systems. Everything is displayed in a fluid, clear interface adapted to Aston Martin’s visual style.

The system offers the driver multiple options to personalize the instrument cluster design, which they will see as soon as they get into the vehicle thanks to the iPhone’s wireless connection, including exclusive themes with different gauge styles, colours and wallpapers. Each driver can adapt their visual experience with special designs, to suit personal taste or the character of the model they drive, and switch between the functions they want to display while driving: for example, they can choose the map to display it full screen in the instrument cluster. In addition, CarPlay Ultra allows control of key vehicle functions, including climate control, radio, driving modes or the sound system, through the touchscreen, physical buttons or voice commands via the Siri virtual assistant, all without leaving the CarPlay environment or returning to the car’s native system, as is required with “standard” CarPlay.

CarPlay Ultra also incorporates widgets powered by the iPhone, seamlessly integrated into the vehicle’s screens to offer relevant information at a glance, such as calendar events, the weather, phone battery…

If you have an iPhone, now you need a Aston Martin (or vice versa)

Thanks to the unprecedented collaboration between Aston Martin and Apple, the new Apple CarPlay Ultra is available first for the British brand, while other manufacturers decide whether to join and integrate it into their vehicles. After its initial launch in the United States and Canada, on the DBX707, Vantage, DB12 and Vanquish model range, it will expand to Europe from August, where it will also be fitted as standard equipment. In addition, it will be available as an update for customers who already own a latest-generation Aston Martin sports car.