Another automaker just upgraded Apple CarPlay to boost your drivetime tunes

An increasing number of automakers have been focusing on sound within their cars of late, many turning to premium audio manufacturers to install very capable speaker systems. As an extension of that, Dolby Atmos has become one of the latest must-have features.

The latest brand to announce an upgrade to Dolby Atmos is Lotus: the KEF sound system in the Lotus Eletre and Lotus Emeya is getting a software update that will mean you can access spatial audio through Apple CarPlay. You'll need the over-the-air update from Lotus and at least iOS 18 on your iPhone, and you're good to go.

"Spatial audio" is how Apple refers to Dolby Atmos, the 3D audio format that's best known for home cinema soundtracks, but has been making a surprising impact on music and audiobooks lately, too. With tracks available through the likes of Apple Music and Amazon Music, you'll be able to get the 23 speakers in the KEF sound system in those cars to sing to a new tune.

I've experienced Dolby Atmos in a number of cars and it's difficult not to be impressed. One of the first manufacturers to go all-in with Atmos was Volvo (where there's also a special Abbey Road Studios mode on some models), but of late we've seen Mercedes Dolby Atmos on all the models in the range and Audi announcing a bigger commitment to the tech too.

It's not just music that benefits from Dolby Atmos: I've sampled audiobooks on Audible in Atmos and it's a much more immersive listening experience that really draws you into the narrative, more like being in the theatre than sitting in a traffic jam on the M25.

In many cases, you'll need a premium sound system to get Dolby Atmos, and on many cars it's an upgrade that you'll need to opt for – you'll also need tracks encoded in Dolby Atmos to get the benefit. But, that's now fairly easy to find those on streaming services that support it.

The criticism of Dolby Atmos music so far is the variability in the experience. Some artists are remixing tracks specifically for Atmos and looking to bring a spatial dimension to their music that wasn't there before, while some tracks just sound like a slightly tweaked version of the original and don't really set your ears tingling.

We're still at the beginning of the road for Dolby Atmos music, but with an increasing number of car manufacturers supporting the tech, it won't be long before you're enjoying that more expansive sound system in your own car.

If you can't wait, just go and get yourself a new Lotus.