Hands-On: Ford Debuts New in-Car Digital Platform with Dual-Screen Apple Maps via CarPlay

Today, Ford announced its next-generation in-car infotainment system built on Google’s Android Automotive platform, which includes an expansion of its CarPlay support.

Chance Miller at 9to5Mac got a preview of the new system last week, which includes support for a variety of built-in apps but can also run Android Auto and CarPlay. As Chance explains, this isn’t the next-gen CarPlay Apple showed off at WWDC 2022, but it does represent an extension of CarPlay onto more screens in Ford vehicles:

As part of the new Ford and Lincoln Digital Experience, Ford is adding support for dual-screen Apple Maps for the first time. This means that when you start Apple Maps navigation on the primary CarPlay screen, the Apple Maps interface will expand into the instrument cluster display.

Be sure to catch 9to5Mac’s full hands-on video because it’s interesting to see how CarPlay has been embedded in a sort of Android Automotive wrapper, allowing drivers to access the apps chosen by Ford or the CarPlay apps are on their iPhones.

This approach makes far more sense to me than GM’s abandonment of CarPlay. However it also comes with a certain amount of visual dissonance between the design of the two systems, which I find jarring.

Also, don’t miss the end of the video where the person demoing the system breaks out a foldable Bluetooth keyboard and starts browsing the web because it has some very big in-car Viticci productivity vibes.