Ford to Integrate Apple Maps Into Upcoming Electric-Vehicle Platform

Ford to Integrate Apple Maps Into Upcoming Electric-Vehicle Platform: Ford said Wednesday it will integrate Apple Maps directly into its upcoming Universal Electric Vehicle platform starting in 2027, deepening its partnership with Apple. The integration will use Apple’s newly introduced MapKit for Automotive software development kit, enabling Apple Maps natively on Ford displays instead of relying only on smartphone projection. Ford said the system will deliver turn-by-turn navigation, real-time traffic, route planning, place search, and EV routing including battery preconditioning. The automaker also plans to use Apple Maps road-level mapping data to support development of its next-generation BlueCruise hands-free highway driving system. Ford Chief Executive Jim Farley said the Universal Electric Vehicle platform underpins a new midsize EV expected to cost about $30,000, and Apple stated MapKit follows its privacy principles. CarPlay will remain available.