Apple Maps to Power Navigation in Ford UEV Platform

Apple Maps will power the navigation experience in Ford's upcoming Universal Electric Vehicle (UEV) Platform when it arrives in 2027, Apple and Ford announced today.

Rather than being limited to CarPlay, Apple Maps will be integrated directly into Ford's vehicle software and displayed across the vehicle's own screens. Drivers will get natural-language turn-by-turn directions, real-time traffic and incident information, search with detailed place cards, and different routing options.


Ford is building the experience with Apple's new MapKit for Automotive SDK, which allows automakers to embed Apple Maps while adapting its appearance and controls to fit their vehicles. For Ford, that integration will extend beyond conventional navigation.

EV Routing and BlueCruise

Apple Maps will provide intelligent EV routing for vehicles built on the UEV Platform, including support for battery preconditioning. Road-level information from Maps will also contribute to Ford's next-generation BlueCruise hands-free highway driving system.

Ford says the additional mapping data will help BlueCruise deliver a more seamless hands-free experience from a highway's on-ramp through its off-ramp, tying the navigation system more closely to the vehicle's driving-assistance technology.

Ford CEO Jim Farley said the company is "proud to embed Apple Maps' navigation and mapping technology directly into our Universal Electric Vehicle Platform." He also highlighted a new midsize EV that will be priced around $30,000 and combine the built-in Apple Maps experience with Ford's app and software, next-generation BlueCruise, and a new zonal electrical architecture.

MapKit for Automotive

The Ford integration illustrates how Apple expects automakers to use MapKit for Automotive. In addition to embedding and customizing Apple Maps, manufacturers can use its road-level information when developing hands-free driving features.

Apple says the SDK follows the same privacy principles as the Apple Maps app and that location details or activity on a vehicle's map are not collected in a way that can be tied to an individual user.

The built-in integration will not replace CarPlay in Ford vehicles. Ford will continue to offer CarPlay alongside its Apple Maps-powered navigation system.