Ford’s CEO isn’t impressed with Apple CarPlay Ultra

The list of car companies looking askance at Apple’s newly release, all-encompassing version of CarPlay is growing longer.

In an interview on Decoder, Ford CEO Jim Farley said he is taking a wait-and-see approach about whether to authorize Apple CarPlay Ultra in Ford’s vehicles. After years of teasing, Apple launched the CarPlay Ultra earlier this year in several models from Aston Martin, with Porsche expected to come next. The upgraded phone mirroring system is designed to deliver greater integration with the vehicle, offering not only the ability to have CarPlay on multiple screens at once but also the option to adjust things like climate controls and drive mode settings from within the CarPlay interface. 

But since its launch, Apple has yet to announce any additional automakers beyond Aston Martin and Porsche. That delay could be the result of companies, many of which are attempting their own software modernizations, expressing concerns about Apple’s desires to take over all the functions inside the vehicle. Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius said as much on his episode of Decoder last year. And now its Farley’s turn, who admitted he wasn’t that impressed with the first iteration of CarPlay Ultra.

“We don’t like the execution in round one of Ultra, but we’re very committed to Apple,” Farley told Wall Street Journal columnist and Decoder guest host Joanna Stern. “I’ve talked to Tim many times about this.”

Ford isn’t saying no to Apple, Farley said, it just wants some clarity about how CarPlay Ultra will interact with some of the core vehicle functions, including advanced features like hands-free driver assist.

“How far do you want the Apple brand to go?” he asked “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?”

Farley noted that Ford Pro commercial customers can currently use the automaker’s enterprise software to track fleet vehicle locations and limit things like driver access or speeds. He said he wouldn’t want Apple to have control over similar vehicle functions through CarPlay Ultra.

“Is Apple going to want to do that?” he said. “If Apple wants to do that, I think we’re going to have a tough time with that, because then the digital experience gets really messy.”

Farley said that Ford is still committed to consumer choice, meaning he has no plans to limit access to CarPlay or Android Auto now or in the future. Indeed, the company’s new Digital Experience was designed to enhance the phone mirroring experience by allowing customers, for example, to maximize CarPlay to fit the entire screen.

Other automakers have taken a different tactic. General Motors made the controversial decision last year to block access to phone projection services in its electric vehicle lineup, arguing it could provide a better software experience for its customers. But customers have overwhelming said they prefer the digital experience on their phone to the one offered in their car. And Farley said Ford wants to honor that by not throwing up any unnecessary barriers between customers and their preferred digital experience.

“We don’t think we should restrict that to make money off the customers,” he said. “We don’t want it to be a hassle. We don’t think we can design an experience that’s going to displace your phone. And yet, at the same time, whether it’s automated systems or the way a trip gets planned, there are things that Ford is working on to add on top of that digital experience of Google and CarPlay that will make it even better.”