Rumours of Apple making a car in collaboration having been swirling on the internet for a while now. After years of postponed releases, the tech giant appears to be serious about making a car – a self driving car for that matter. However, executives at Hyundai reportedly have mixed thoughts about taking up such a project.
Hyundai does not wish to play the role of a contract manufacturer. A source said, “A cooperation may initially help raise the brand image of Hyundai or Kia. But in the mid- or longer-term, we will just provide shells for the cars, and Apple would do the brains.”
Outsource most of the components
Based on the insider information, talks between Apple and Hyundai have been going on since 2019. Titled “Project Titan”, the project was reportedly spearheaded by Alexander Hitzinger. However, Hitzinger has since then moved to Volkswagen and is not a part of Hyundai anymore. It’s unclear who runs the show at Hyundai’s super secret project with Apple.
The noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of TF International Securities has said that Apple Car would release sometime during the 2023-2025 period. It requires a lot of time to build a car compared to say, a smartphone or a tablet. Sources with information regarding the Apple Car have said that Apple plans to outsource most of the components such as drive trains, bodies, frames, and more to different manufacturers.
It was also reported that Hyundai has moved the Apple Car project to its subsidiary Kia Motors. The process of assembling the Apple Car will be handled by Kia, as Hyundai does not wish to let its image be affected in the market by making a car for some other company. Apple also reportedly wishes to manufacture the car in the United States. Kia already has a manufacturing plant in Georgia which would help speed things up.