It is reported that Apple has stopped negotiations with Hyundai Motor Company on the autonomous electric vehicle project. It is an analysis that Apple expressed uncomfortableness in the successive leakage of Hyundai Motor Company.
Bloomberg reported on the 6th (local time) that Apple has stopped discussing EV production with Hyundai Kia Motors.
According to industry sources, in addition to Hyundai Motor Company, Apple may conduct additional negotiations with other partners, such as General Motors of the United States and the PSA Group of France, who have kept security related to cooperation discussions.
Last week, the leak of discussions with Hyundai Motor, which assembles Apple’s self-driving EV at the Kia factory, a Korean automaker in West Point, Georgia, was reported to the media including CNBC.
Recently, there have been reports that the Hyundai Motor Group is negotiating with Apple for an autonomous EV that will be built in US factories after 2024 and is weighing the benefits of the partnership.
Earlier, Reuters cited an anonymous executive at Hyundai Motor Company last week and reported that the Korean automaker is not sure if a partnership with Apple is a good idea. It is feared that the image could be damaged if Hyundai Motor Company is recognized as a simple contract manufacturer like Taiwan’s Foxconn that manufactures Apple iPhones.
Another source said that Apple prefers to procure key parts of the car, including the frame, body and powertrain, from a variety of suppliers and then leave the final assembly to Hyundai.
Meanwhile, TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in an investor note recently obtained by Mac Rumors that Apple plans to use Hyundai Motor’s E-GMP modular EV platform, as early as 2025. Expected to be able to deliver the car.
The E-GMP platform is expected to debut with the Hyundai Ioniq 5 compact crossover SUV, which is scheduled to be released in February, and will be used in Kia Motors and Genesis vehicles.
It was Hyundai Kia Motors that benefited from the continued leakage of Hyundai Motor Company. The company’s stock price temporarily surged due to the leak of Apple cooperation. Some pointed out whether the successive leaks of Hyundai Motors were intentional.
Apple car, autonomous shuttle or delivery van?
According to the industry, the Apple car is an unmanned vehicle that will be used for “last mile” travel and will be a kind of autonomous shuttle or delivery van. This is related to a 2018 report claiming that Apple considered equipping an autonomous driving system with a Volkswagen Transporter van for an autonomous shuttle service to transport employees between the two Silicon Valley campuses.
News last weekend that Apple has hired a chassis engineer for the German Volkswagen Group’s high-end car maker Porsche is another context. It is also possible to see the intention that the lineup of short- and long-term Apple car projects may vary.
In Kuo’s investor note, Apple said it is working with General Motors and PSA groups in addition to the Hyundai Motor Group, but did not provide details.
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