Apple seems to be planning to work with South Korean car brands Hyundai and Kia to develop cars. The cars would be electrically powered and capable of driving autonomously.
The rumours come from a Korean newspaper, writes Bloomberg. The companies intend to make a deal in the coming weeks to produce the first Apple cars in 2024, starting with 100,000 cars a year. In return, Apple would invest 4 trillion won (3 billion euros) in Kia.
Apple car in the pipeline since 2014
Rumours that Apple is working on its own car have been circulating for a long time. The company has been preparing to enter the car market since 2014. For years, its developments were on the back burner, but that changed when Doug Field returned to Apple as vice president in 2018. Field had previously worked at Apple and later gained experience at Tesla. By now, the company is said to have made enough progress to make a car for consumers. In December, there were already rumours that Apple wants to release a car in 2024.
According to the rumours, Apple’s self-driving car is aimed at the classic concept of owning your own vehicle. Doing so will go against the visions of Tesla and Google sister company Waymo, who are also both working on technology for autonomous cars.
Hyundai and Kia
A collaboration with Kia and its parent company Hyundai is logical. Hyundai was one of the first car brands to invest heavily in electric transport. Models like the Ioniq and Kona EV are very popular electric cars. The company is also developing cars with other alternative fuels, such as hydrogen. Apple is focusing on improving the battery technology in electric cars.
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