Why Ford Cars Don’t Have Apple CarPlay Ultra, According To CEO Jim Farley – BGR

Ford has supported CarPlay on its vehicles for eight years now. When Apple announced the next-generation of CarPlay in 2022, it said the American carmaker would be among the brands that would support this new experience. After years of delay, Apple unveiled CarPlay Ultra in 2025 and said that Aston Martin would be the first automaker adding this technology to its vehicles. While Apple promised more carmakers would add this experience soon, some of them have decided not to support it.

This is Ford’s case. The carmaker has been an Apple partner for years, but its CEO Jim Farley is not happy with the current stage of CarPlay Ultra. In an interview with The Verge, he commented that Ford is still considering it, but not in the way Apple might expect: “We don’t like the execution of Ultra in round one,” he says. Still, while other carmakers have decided to completely drop support for CarPlay, or not even implement it in the first place, Farley says Ford is “very committed to Apple.”

CarPlay Ultra was introduced in early 2025. Currently limited to a few premium vehicles, Ultra is an new all-screen experience that takes over the speedometer, tachometer, fuel gauge, temperature gauge, and more. Drivers can choose to show information from their phone in a more immersive way, while controlling their car with Apple’s latest iOS 26 CarPlay features. 

However, Ford’s CEO Jim Farley is not sold on the idea, saying “I’ve talked to Tim [Cook] many times about this. Ford does not have the right, in our opinion, to disrupt someone’s digital life when they get in their car.” Farley also questions how much control Apple should have over people’s vehicles: “Are you going to allow OEMs to control the vehicles? How far do you want the Apple brand to go? Do you want the Apple brand to start the car? Do you want the Apple brand to limit the speed? Do you want the Apple brand to limit access?”

While Ford is cautious about Apple CarPlay Ultra, its CEO says the company is developing other technologies to improve drivers’ experiences. For example, Ford’s Pro customers can limit access to a vehicle depending on the day, set speed controls through software, and more. CEO Jim Farley says that if Apple also starts offering these features, it could get “really messy.” 

He explains: “I think Apple has to decide if it wants control of the entire experience inside a vehicle. If it does and it wants to follow Ultra with the Ultra 2 or whatever is next, then Ford will have to make a big decision. I know where we would go.” That said, it’s not that Ford might never adopt CarPlay Ultra, but the CEO believes it’s not the perfect solution for its customers at this moment. BGR will keep you updated on the latest list of carmakers planning to use CarPlay Ultra.