Now more details have emerged about Apple's alleged interest in working on a self-driving electric car in partnership with Hyundai Motor.
A new report from local newspaper Korea IT News (via Reuters), Hyundai and Apple plan to sign a partnership agreement by March this year. A Hyundai spokesman recently officially announced talks between the two companies confirmed. This will be about the production of the Apple Car.
We know that Apple is in talks with a number of global automakers, including Hyundai Motor. Since the talks are at an early stage, nothing has been decided yet.
According to Korea IT News, Hyundai and Apple plan to reach an agreement for autonomous electric cars as early as March 2021. Production could then "start in the United States as early as 2024."
Apple Car is still years away
Citing industry sources, the report claims that Apple and Hyundai will build the cars at Kia Motors' factory in Georgia or "invest together in a new factory in the United States." The two companies plan to produce 100,000 vehicles in 2024 and eventually reach an annual capacity of 400,000. The report adds that a "beta version" of Apple Car could be released as early as next year. However, the timeframe given seems quite optimistic. Recently, Ming-Chi Kuo and Bloomberg stated that the Apple Car is still years away. Specifically, the market launch could not take place until 2027/2028 or later. According to them, the Apple Car is still at least five to seven years away from being ready for the market. AirPods Pro on special offer at Amazon – available now. (Photo by PavelVinnik / Bigstockphoto)