Apple allegedly working with Hyundai on electric car for 2027

[Karlston]

Apple allegedly working with Hyundai on electric car for 2027

The Korea Economic Daily got confirmation of the collaboration.

Enlarge

Aurich Lawson / Getty Images

119 with 82 posters participating

Apple's automotive plan includes a collaboration with Hyundai, according to a report published on Friday by the Korea Economic Daily. It says that Apple and Hyundai are working on battery technology that will differ from the kind used in the automaker's new battery electric vehicle platform, which goes into production later this year. The report also claims that the Apple car will arrive in 2027 but offers no more detail about the collaboration or any possible vehicles or technologies that could emerge as a result.

 

Will they-won't they rumors about an Apple car have been circulating since Apple created an internal group called Project Titan in 2014. Since Apple is notoriously tight-lipped, few details exist about the project other than reports of staff being fired and plans being scaled back. But by late 2019 it's believed that 1,200 Apple staff were working on Project Titan, and in December 2020 Reuters reported that an Apple car could hit the street by 2025.

 

Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor Group has fast emerged as one of the leaders of the pack for BEV engineering and is about to debut a new platform called E-GMP that will underpin 23 different new models between now and 2025. Hyundai has opted for an 800V electrical architecture for E-GMP which will allow it to charge to 80 percent within 18 minutes. Hyundai is also working with the startup Canoo on BEVs.

 

A spokesperson for Hyundai confirmed to CNBC that Apple and Hyundai have been in talks:

"We understand that Apple is in discussion with a variety of global automakers, including Hyundai Motor. As the discussion is at its early stage, nothing has been decided," a representative from Hyundai Motor told CNBC’s Chery Kang.

 

Apple allegedly working with Hyundai on electric car for 2027

[mood]

Hyundai reverses claims it's working with Apple on Car

While Bloomberg report reveals Apple car is nowhere near production stage - but Apple has plans for completely autonomous vehicle

 

 

According to a Bloomberg report "Apple will take at least half a decade to launch an autonomous, electric vehicle because development work is still at an early stage".

 

This is according to people with knowledge of the matter, rather than Hyundai...

 

The South Korean car company Hyundai, on the other hand, has revealed that it had been in negotiations with Apple relating to a partnership with Apple to produce an electric car. Hyundai surprisingly confirmed the talks with Apple to CNBC.

 

CNBC's Chery Kang indicated that a representative from Hyundai had revealed that Apple was in discussions with a number of global car manufacturers, including Hyundai Motor. As the discussions are at an early stage, nothing has been decided, as per CNBS’s report.

 

Hyundai issued a statement saying that "Apple and Hyundai are in discussions but they are at an early stage and nothing has been decided." This statement was later revised, first to say that it was talking to a number of companies about an electric car tie-up including Apple. A later version removed the mention of Apple from the statement.

 

Hyundai’s share price soared 19% on the initial news.

 

Returning to the Bloomberg report, which appeared before the Hyundai claims, the report claims the Apple car is nowhere near production stage.

 

Bloomberg does reveal that there is a team of people at Apple (including various ex-Tesla employees) working on "drive systems, vehicle interior and external car body designs" though, rather than just the underlying self-driving system.

Read all the latest rumours and revelations about Apple's plans to make a car in our Apple Car hub.

 

 

Source: Hyundai reverses claims it's working with Apple on Car