Apple and Ford have announced a new partnership that will see cars built on the latter's Universal Electric Vehicle platform use Apple Maps for advanced routing and future self-driving features.
The partnership will see Maps become a key component of the Universal Electric Vehicle (UEV) platform when it launches in 2027. Apple announced that its technology will go beyond simple routing and will instead be used to power Ford's next-generation BlueCruise hands-free driving feature.
"Apple Maps delivers the best map experience in the world, and we're excited to bring the power of Maps' navigation technology to Ford's innovative Universal Electric Vehicle Platform," said Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Services and Health. "With our new MapKit for Automotive SDK, we're bringing Maps further into drivers' daily lives, giving them an incredibly accurate and easy-to-use navigation system that is seamlessly integrated into Ford vehicles."
The collaboration will use Apple's new MapKit for Automotive SDK to embed Maps directly into Ford displays while sticking to Apple's privacy standards. That means that no details or activity information are collected in a way that can be associated with an individual driver.
CarPlay and beyond
Apple's announcement notes that Ford vehicles will continue to offer CarPlay. Those driving a vehicle based on the UEV platform will be able to use Apple Maps without first connecting their iPhone.
"Our new midsize electric vehicle will be priced around $30,000 and redefines what advanced technology can be — simple, useful, and truly attainable for more customers," said Jim Farley, Ford Motor Company's CEO. "We're proud to embed Apple Maps' navigation and mapping technology directly into our Universal Electric Vehicle Platform, giving customers the ultimate navigation experience alongside our Ford app, a full suite of software, and next-generation BlueCruise, all enabled by a new zonal architecture. Apple Maps has delivered a world-class product, and we're honored to be among the first to embed it directly into a vehicle, helping define intuitive, capable driving."
While the MapKit for Automotive SDK will support turn-by-turn navigation using natural language and offer real-time traffic data, that's just the start. Ford UEV drivers will also benefit from routing based on their EV's battery requirements, with battery preconditioning also part of the package.
For highway drivers, Maps will also form the basis of an upgraded BlueCruise functionality. BlueCruise is Ford's hands-free highway driving feature, with Maps set to "deliver a more seamless on-ramp to off-ramp experience.
The news that Ford and Apple are working together shouldn't be all that surprising. Ford hired Peter Stern in 2023 to be the president of its self-driving division. Stern previously oversaw Apple TV+ and iCloud at Apple.
