zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Culture
/
Wow, There Sure Is A Whole Lot Of Apple Car News Right Now
Wow, There Sure Is A Whole Lot Of Apple Car News Right Now-April 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:12:28

Image for article titled Wow, There Sure Is A Whole Lot Of Apple Car News Right Now

I don’t know if you’ve been paying attention — I won’t blame you for being too fatigued to care — but a whole lot of news dropped about the Apple Car over the past few days. And if you’ve already found whatever interest you had waning, buckle up, friend. The rumors are only going to flow faster and faster from here on out.

First, there was the news from Korean newspaper DongA Ilbo, via , that Apple was planning to invest $3.6 billion into Kia, which is expected to produce the long-awaited Apple Car at its West Point, Ga. plant. Then, shared a note from Ming-Chi Kuo, a decently reliable Apple analyst who sources his insights from the company’s supply chain, saying that the Apple Car will utilize Hyundai’s E-GMP platform. And finally, yesterday added that Apple’s first car “won’t be designed to have a driver.”

Now, the implications of these reports are significant and appear to be coming from reputable sources (for the most part, anyway; I can’t speak to DongA Ilbo’s credibility.) It makes total sense for Apple to that will underpin the along with many other models because that’s the part of this equation you’d expect Apple to lean on Hyundai for. Kuo essentially said as much in his latest note:

Apple’s deep collaboration with current automakers (Hyundai Group, GM, and PSA) who have extensive development, production, and qualification experience will significantly shorten the ‌Apple Car‌ development time and create a time-to-market advantage. We believe that Apple will leverage current automakers’ resources and focus on self-driving hardware and software, semiconductors, battery-related technologies, form factor and internal space designs, innovative user experience, and the integration with Apple’s existing ecosystem.

Hyundai would be responsible for the part of the car that moves, so Apple could concentrate on the hardware and software intelligence. In a way, it’s actually a predictable development, as Apple was a few years ago, shifting its focus purely to software. With a partner like Kia, though, the company would have a home for its tech, and the result would be fully Apple-branded. That all sounds pretty good for Apple!

Which is, of course, where Hyundai’s about the project comes in. The Korean automaker is scared — wouldn’t you be if you were working with the world’s most powerful brand? And, as CNBC notes, there really wouldn’t be much room for a Kia logo anywhere on this thing:

Sources familiar with Apple’s interest in working with Hyundai say the tech giant wants to build the “Apple Car” in North America with an established automaker willing to allow Apple to control the software and hardware that will go into the vehicle.

In other words, this will be an “Apple Car,” not a Kia model featuring Apple software.

Brief history aside: Years before the iPhone, Apple marketed a Motorola-produced phone with iTunes software built-in, called the Rokr E1. The thing you probably didn’t remember it until I just brought it up. Hyundai doesn’t want to be the next Motorola.

CNBC’s report also sheds light on the nature of the Apple Car, which, at least at the outset, doesn’t appear to be a consumer-targeted vehicle:

“The first Apple Cars will not be designed to have a driver,” said one source with knowledge of the current plan. “These will be autonomous, electric vehicles designed to operate without a driver and focused on the last mile.” That could mean Apple cars, at least initially, could focus on package food delivery operations and firms incorporating robotaxis.

In other words, the Apple Car program would begin more along the lines of Google’s Waymo, built specifically for public transportation in defined areas. However, this doesn’t entirely click with Kuo’s prediction that Apple will market its car as “a very high-end model” — perhaps Kuo is speaking to the future when Apple does eventually entertain direct-to-consumer sales. If that’s the case, though, it seems like it’d be a very, very long time before anyone could actually buy an Apple Car, well past the Kuo himself predicted.

My head is spinning trying to make sense of all the rumors. The Apple news cycle is relentless, and after decades of dominating electronics, now it’s doing the same to cars.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Culture
Subaru Had It Right All Along
Subaru Had It Right All Along
When first came to the United States, it sold small funky cars that were decidedly un-American. As the company grew its own identity and became more established in the U.S., it became the first automaker to offer an all-wheel-drive passenger car in 1975. Subaru was also an early-adopter of...
Apr 23, 2025
I Entered My Lifted Miata In A Real Off-Road Race, Here's What Happened
I Entered My Lifted Miata In A Real Off-Road Race, Here's What Happened
I have two automotive loves: The first is the Miata, the second is off-road racing. For a while I raced air-cooled Volkswagens in the deserts of California and Nevada and I was lucky enough to co-drive in a class 11 stock bug in the Baja 1000 a few years...
Apr 23, 2025
Toyota Is Moving A Prewar 700-Ton Press Machine Halfway Around The World
Toyota Is Moving A Prewar 700-Ton Press Machine Halfway Around The World
closed its São Bernardo Plant in November 2023, marking the end of its first overseas production facility. The closure caps off a period of continuous car production in São Paolo, , lasting over 60 years. The plant was home to a Komatsu 700-ton press that predates itself. And now...
Apr 23, 2025
2024 Kia EV9: What Do You Want To Know?
2024 Kia EV9: What Do You Want To Know?
At long last, we are about to get behind the wheel of for the first time. Sure, , and sure, , and sure , but hey — what can you do? Anyway, before we get behind the wheel of this three-row electric beast, we want to know what you...
Apr 23, 2025
Watch ABS Fail When MotorWeek Tests A 1997 Chevy S-10
Watch ABS Fail When MotorWeek Tests A 1997 Chevy S-10
MotorWeek’s is some of the on the internet. The long-running automotive news magazine has a treasure trove of tests after being on the air for over 40 years. Where else can you find detailed instrumented testing of long-forgotten cars like the or a ? MotorWeek’s recent Retro Review upload is...
Apr 23, 2025
I Can't Get Enough Of This YouTuber Who Builds Tiny, Fully Functional Scale-Model Cars
I Can't Get Enough Of This YouTuber Who Builds Tiny, Fully Functional Scale-Model Cars
I love tiny, of . I have a that is roughly half the size of a normal cat, and she’s perfect. I own a 2013 , which is like the miniature version of a normal-sized vehicle (at least here in Texas) — but beyond that, I also own a Hot...
Apr 23, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved