TL;DR
Ford will embed Apple Maps in its new UEV platform starting with a $30,000 electric pickup in 2027, with road data also feeding BlueCruise
Ford will use Apple Maps as the built-in navigation system for its next generation of electric vehicles, replacing the Google-based software it has run since 2023. The integration uses Apple’s new MapKit for Automotive SDK and will launch with Ford’s $30,000 midsize electric pickup in 2027, according to a joint announcement from both companies on Wednesday. Ford will also feed Apple’s road-level mapping data into the development of its next-generation BlueCruise hands-free driving system.
The move is a notable reversal. Ford partnered with Google in 2021 to bring Android Automotive to millions of its vehicles, making it one of the highest-profile adopters of Google’s in-car software platform, but for its most important new product line Ford is now turning to Apple instead. CEO Jim Farley called the electric pickup a vehicle that “redefines what advanced technology can be,” and said Ford is “honoured to be among the first to embed” Apple Maps directly into a car.
The system will offer turn-by-turn directions with natural language search, real-time traffic and incident data, and EV-specific route planning that accounts for charging station locations, estimated range, and battery preconditioning. That last feature automatically warms or cools the battery before arriving at a fast charger, which can cut charging times significantly. Apple’s senior vice president of services, Eddy Cue, said the SDK lets automakers build a navigation experience that matches the look and feel of their own vehicle software rather than simply mirroring the Apple Maps app.
Beyond navigation, Ford’s Latitude AI team will use Apple’s road-level data to build a more seamless on-ramp-to-off-ramp experience for BlueCruise, the New York Times reported. That means Apple’s mapping data will help the hands-free driving system understand where highway interchanges, merges, and exits are located. Google’s Android Automotive platform has been gaining traction across the industry, but Ford’s decision to pick Apple for its flagship EV platform suggests the competition for in-car software is far from settled.
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The electric pickup launching on Ford’s Universal Electric Vehicle platform will be built at Louisville Assembly Plant in Kentucky, using LFP batteries and megacasting to hit the $30,000 target. CarPlay will remain available on Ford vehicles alongside the native Apple Maps integration. Ford has not said whether its existing models running Android Automotive will eventually switch to Apple Maps or whether the change applies only to UEV-based vehicles going forward.
