Apple says Ford, Mercedes, Jaguar among automakers that may use new Car Play software

Apple said it is talking to several automakers over its new generation of its CarPlay that will more deeply integrate its software into the core driving systems of cars.

Apple on Monday announced significant updates to CarPlay at the Worldwide Developers Conference event, as the company looks to upgrade it from an infotainment system to a software solution that will allow drivers to control parts of their car and show more information.

The company said its new car dashboard will be able to display data from major instruments such as speed, fuel levels and fuel use.

Apple gave a long list of automakers that could endorse the program.

Among the prominent names are Ford Motor, Renault, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Honda and Jaguar Land Rover. Vehicles with the software will be announced late next year.

The software connects more deeply into core driving systems than prior versions that were limited to the vehicle's infotainment displays for playing music and showing maps.

Apple's car software has been in vehicles since 2014 and is available in more than 600 models -- even including a few motorcycles. Currently it is largely separate from the vehicle's own operating systems. Vehicles owners must leave the system for even basic functions such as adjusting a car's climate controls, a shortcoming the updated system is designed to address.

The next generation of CarPlay will support multiple screens on cars irrespective of size and layout and will be able to show information including weather and navigation, according to images posted during a presentation.

Widgets powered by the iPhone will be available across all screens in a vehicle including the instrument cluster, with multiple styles of dials, layouts, themes and colors.

Drivers will be able to change temperature settings, use apps such as the Audiobooks, News, Podcasts and tune the car's radio without leaving the CarPlay interface.

The iPhone will communicate with the vehicle's systems in real time in a "privacy-friendly way" to show driving information such as speed, fuel level and temperature.

Polestar, the premium electric-vehicle maker owned by China's Geely and Volvo Cars, is installing the current version of Apple CarPlay into its Polestar 2 cars through an over-the-air update later this month.

Which Polestar cars will get the newer version Apple announced on Monday are under discussion and no further information was available,  Polestar spokesman JP Canton said.

A spokeswoman for Ford, which announced a software deal with Alphabet's Google last year, declined to comment on Apple's announcement.

Automakers remain wary of allowing the tech giants unfettered access to the data generated by connected cars, or to allow them to displace the automakers' brands with their own in dashboard displays.