Next-gen Apple CarPlay previewed for Porsche & Aston Martin rollout – but when?

Way back in June 2022, Apple unveiled a massive expansion of its CarPlay system, along with a long list of brands it had apparently secured agreements with.

The brands said to be signed up for the new CarPlay program included Ford, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz, Infiniti, Honda, Acura, Jaguar, Land Rover, Audi, Nissan, Renault, Volvo, Polestar and Porsche – with a target of "late 2023" for announcing which of those would launch first.

Well, true to its word, it is now late 2023 and Apple has confirmed the first brands to integrate its big and very polarising new CarPlay will be Porsche and Aston Martin.

Not so clear is just how the new system will integrate with these cars, and exactly which models – and when – it'll first appear with. Sometime in 2024 appears to be all that's been promised for now.

Today's news is accompanied by images of the system running in the dash of both models, filling not only the main infotainment views but also the driver display behind the steering wheel – a completely new position for CarPlay.

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Porsche

The Porsche design above shows the familiar Porsche steering wheel, but little else is recognisably Porsche.

All current Porsche models, and indeed the upcoming new-generation Macan and heavily updated Panamera, use a long letterboxed centre display – whereas the image above features a tall portrait display.

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Above: The dash of the coming new-generation Macan

The new Macan does, however, have a passenger display that matches the dimensions of Apple's image.

The instrument display of Apple's Porsche dash shows three dials – as with the current Macan – but the on-screen graphics don't exactly scream Stuttgart, apart from the houndstooth background. It will be interesting to see if CarPlay's Porsche interface will have the option of a properly Porsche-styled style...

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Aston Martin

In Aston form, CarPlay looks much more conventional in its main display, thanks to the absence of any expansive screens in the Aston range.

The instrument cluster, however, shows speed and rev meters that have a little more Aston-feeling flair – or a little less Apple gloss – but nothing that specifically stands out as an Aston design hallmark.

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Above: the current Aston DBX driver display

What was the promise?

Last year's announcement saw the massively expanded CarPlay interface previewed on a mocked-up car dash, with one long screen stretching from behind the steering wheel right across to the front passenger's position.

Below that, a more conventional screen is shown running CarPlay in a more familiar view.

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Click any image in this article for our full gallery

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Fancy a Gulf colourway..?

Running every aspect of the vehicle's interactive systems, the new CarPlay shows on-screen, iPhone-styled controls and displays for heating and cooling – right through to the speedometer, fuel and temperature gauges in the 'cluster' behind the steering wheel.

A video released by Apple (see the embedded tweet below) shows the CarPlay update will also offer widgets for your calendar, home controls (integrating with gadgets compatible with Apple's Home platform), weather forecasts and air quality.

There are still a lot of unanswered questions

Just how this new version or CarPlay will integrate with a car is unclear.

Will this new version of CarPlay stand as the vehicle's actual operating system, in the same way that Android Automotive does with the likes of Volvo and Polestar – and soon BMW (sorta kinda) – or will it continue as a mere overlay like the current CarPlay and Android Auto, simply projecting information from the driver's phone?

Time will tell, although it will obviously require at least some data from the car, such as speed, fuel/battery details, tyre pressure and so forth.

Whether the user will sign into the car with their Apple ID, or if the car will simply pull data from the user's phone, is unclear.

Related video

Some go deep with Apple, others get out

Almost a year since Apple's new-generation CarPlay announcement, General Motors made a shock announcement that it will not offer Apple CarPlay or Android Auto with its future models.

Pick your poison, I suppose.