Apple said we’d get vehicle announcements tied to its “next generation” of wireless CarPlay by the end of 2023, and today, it delivered mock-ups of the dashboard-spanning UI styled for Porsche and Aston Martin. Instead of simply taking over the infotainment center and small segments of the in-dash areas, it seeks to overhaul all displays of the given vehicle.
With each manufacturer partnership, there will be some matching and customization options throughout the screens. For example, the background wallpapers and knobs can mimic a car brand’s style or look. Users will be able to personalize the widgets and apps that appear on the screen, mirroring the form and functions on Apple devices. The Car paly display will show other key elements like the speed of the car, fuel and temperature on the instrument cluster.
In the Aston Martin layout, there’s a media display in the center, surrounded by the speedometer and tachometer, and outlined in the brand’s distinctive green. Car & Driver reports that all driving-specific data is delivered by the car’s sensors, even as your iPhone runs the apps, with a note that, according to Apple, the phone does not store or track the vehicle-sourced information.
While Porsche and Aston Martin are the first luxury carmakers to tease their collaborations with Apple for branded CarPlay systems, there are no timing specifics regarding the launch of the tool in any specific Porsche models. Aston Martin did share that it will debut CarPlay displays on the DB12 coupe and DB12 convertible in 2024 when they go on sale. Considering Porsche is owned by VW Group, we might see a trickle-down of the latest CarPlay features into VW and Audi models down the road.