Apple is trying to build cars and wants to bring an electric car to market. But help from experienced car manufacturers is needed, now Hyundai / Kia seems to have dropped out of talks on a partnership. What will happen to the Apple Auto?
After Hyundai first confirmed that there were talks with Apple about building the tech giant’s first car, new statements now indicate that the partnership will not continue. Read on to find out all the details.
Apple plans to launch its own electric car, which will be a high-tech alternative to the Tesla models. It could have groundbreaking autonomous driving functions when it hits the market in the mid-2020s, but the development of an electric car has already failed quite a few before that.
That is why strong partnerships are an important cornerstone. A recent statement from Hyundai appeared to confirm that the South Korean automaker was in talks with the US tech giant. Everything indicated that Hyundai and Kia could play a role in building the upcoming Apple car.
A Hyundai spokesman said: “Apple and Hyundai are in talks but as this is an early stage nothing has been decided yet”. The conversations in question relate to the development of autonomous electric vehicles. However, Hyundai later changed its statement, saying that Apple was in talks with a large number of global automakers and that Hyundai had received “requests for possible cooperation between different companies”.
Hyundai will launch several models under the name Ioniq over the next few years.
In a subsequent statement from Hyundai, it was reported that the Korean automaker may have had concerns about Apple’s intention to source parts for the new car from multiple suppliers and have them assembled into a finished product by Hyundai and Kia.
Since then, both Hyundai and Kia have issued statements confirming talks with Apple about building a new electric car have ended. But that doesn’t mean that the Apple Auto Project has also come to an end. Apple recently hired a former Porsche engineer and it is rumored that Apple is in talks with General Motors and Stellantis (the group that owns Fiat, Chrysler, Citroen, Peugeot, and Alfa Romeo brands) about building the new car could.
Apple Car Price and Start of Sales
If Apple gets a car on the road, it will be a long time. It takes a long time to develop a new car, especially one with advanced battery technology and autonomous driving functions. And like the failed Dyson electric car project shows, it’s even more difficult if you’ve never built a car …
If Apple finds good partners, the first car could be seen in salesrooms in about five years. However, like most Apple products, it will likely be quite expensive. So it will almost certainly cost more than a comparable electric car from Tesla, Mercedes, BMW, or Audi.
