Analyst: BMW or Magna Could Manufacture Apple Car

BY Sanuj Bhatia

Published 9 Feb 2021

apple car c1

With Hyundai and Kia out of the equation, Apple has turned to BMW, or Magna for manufacturing its Apple Car, claims a report.

Talks between Apple and Hyundai surfaced last month when a Korean IT newspaper reported that the companies were in talks of manufacturing an Apple-branded car. Then, the talks shifted to Kia over the manufacturing of Apple Car. But now that the companies have accepted that they’re no longer manufacturing a car for Apple, and the Cupertino-based is now looking for other partnerships.

The problem between Hyundai and Apple is, supposedly, over the ‘control.’

The problem, in essence, is that both companies are used to being in charge. Hyundai is traditionally known for its reluctance to work with outsiders, making engines, transmissions and even its own steel in-house under its vertically integrated supply chain as South Korea’s second-largest conglomerate […]

“Apple is the boss. They do their marketing, they do their products, they do their brand. Hyundai is also the boss. That does not really work,” the person said.

Japenese analysts believe that a contract manufacturing deal “would leave the carmaker in a situation akin to that of Pegatron and Foxconn.” The report claims that no big automotive manufacturer, like Volkswagen, won’t agree to Apple’s terms, and “they don’t want to open the door to Apple.”

Honda, Nissan, Stellantis and BMW (BMWYY) are four [who fit the bill].

“Maybe BMW sees it a bit differently, saying, ‘OK, at some point we have to accept that Apple is entering the auto business, and if that is happening, we want to be the partner instead of anybody else,’ ” said Pieper.

Many leaks regarding Apple Car have surfaced over the past few weeks. It was said to feature next-generation battery charging technology that could charge the battery up to 80% in 18 minutes. But, now that the talks between Hyundai and Apple are halted, there’s no information if this feature will be available in the final product.

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[Via CNN]