Today Apple announced a unique partnership with automaker Ford, which will bake Apple Maps into its upcoming Universal Electric Vehicle (UEV) Platform for navigation. Here are the details.
Apple and Ford today announced that Apple Maps will be integrated directly into Ford’s upcoming Universal Electric Vehicle (UEV) Platform through Apple’s new MapKit for Automotive SDK. Coming to Ford’s UEV Platform in 2027, this integration will deliver a beautiful and easy-to-use navigation experience powered by Apple Maps directly to the vehicle’s displays. Road-level Maps information will also enable Ford’s Latitude AI team to build a seamless hands-free driving experience.
Leveraging Apple’s new MapKit for Automotive SDK, Ford’s Universal Electric Vehicle Platform will offer drivers turn-by-turn directions using natural language, real-time traffic and incident information, intuitive search featuring detailed place cards, and routing options to help users easily find the best route to their destination. Additionally, Ford UEV drivers will benefit from an intelligent EV routing functionality, including battery preconditioning. Ford will also use road-level information from Apple Maps as part of the development of its next-generation BlueCruise hands-free highway driving capability to deliver a more seamless on-ramp-to-off-ramp experience.
In other words, Ford’s UEV models will get the Apple Maps navigation experience, complete with intelligent EV routing and battery preconditioning, all baked right into the vehicle.
CarPlay will still be available as an option, but thanks to this direct integration, even drivers who don’t have an iPhone will be able to use Apple Maps.
It sounds like this is only the first such deal to be announced, with more expected. Ford’s CEO says, “we’re honored to be among the first to embed [Apple Maps] directly into a vehicle.” Rather than being “the first,” Ford is “among the first” per his quote.
Apple also hints at additional partnerships by saying, “This integration is made possible by Apple’s new MapKit for Automotive SDK, which allows automakers to embed and customize Apple Maps.”
What do you think of Apple Maps being baked into vehicles? Let us know in the comments.
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Ryan got his start in journalism as an Editor at MacStories, where he worked for four years covering Apple news, writing app reviews, and more. For two years he co-hosted the Adapt podcast on Relay FM, which focused entirely on the iPad. As a result, it should come as no surprise that his favorite Apple device is the iPad Pro.
