Hyundai has distanced itself from rumours that it had partnered up with Apple to help the iPhone maker launch its very own car.
In early January a Hyundai executive told Korean media that the firm was one of several marques that were being considered to produce the long-rumoured Apple car. However, the company recently told investors that it’s in talks with multiple firms about autonomous vehicles, but denied the Cupertino tech giant was among them.
During the investor call, a company spokesperson said: “we are receiving requests for cooperation in joint development of autonomous electric vehicles from various companies, but they are at [an] early stage and nothing has been decided. We are not having talks with Apple on developing autonomous vehicles.”
Apple has yet to comment on the developments, but the tech giant is notoriously secretive and rarely responds to rumours. That being said, the Hyundai executive who allegedly leaked information about the partnership likely angered Apple, possibly resulting in the rumoured communication breakdown between the two firms.
Initial reports claimed that Apple was on the brink of signing a contract with the Hyundai-Kia group, with the first models due to hit the road in 2024 and an initial production target of 100,000 cars per year.
Details about the car are scarce but it’s likely Apple will develop autonomous tech and connectivity features, leaving an established manufacturer to work on building the vehicle. And while initial rumours pointed to Apple building its own car, it allegedly switched its focus to a tech supplier in 2017.
Apple isn’t the only tech company eyeing a route into the car world. Google has been developing autonomous systems for some time now, as has ride hailing giant Uber. Even PlayStation 5 maker Sony wants a piece of the action, developing its very own Vision-S EV that supposedly won’t go on sale – even though it’s being tested as if it were a production car.
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Keyword: Apple Car: did the iPhone maker drop Hyundai?