Hyundai and Kia pour cold water on potential car with Apple
Hyundai said on Monday that it is no longer in talks with Apple regarding the development of a future autonomous vehicle.
Hyundai said it “has received requests to co-develop autonomous electric vehicle from multiple companies but they were in the early stages and nothing was finalised.” It then explicitly mentioned Apple, saying it “is not in talks with Apple on development of an autonomous vehicle.”
Hyundai’s affiliate Kia, also an automobile manufacturer, and Hyundai Mobis, a car component-making subsidiary, made similar statements separately. Hyundai and Kia, combined, form the world’s fifth largest automobile manufacturer.
Over the weekend, Bloomberg reported that Apple had previously held talks with Hyundai and Kia about building an electric vehicle, but the discussions were recently paused. The report claimed that Apple was discussing similar plans with other automobile manufacturers besides Hyundai as well.
Last month, Hyundai confirmed that it was in talks with Apple to develop an electric car. After initially naming Apple in its statements, it has since removed the company from its follow-up statements.
South Korean news media Hankyung reported that Apple and Hyundai’s collaboration would include the manufacturing of electric cars and development of batteries. The pair’s goal was to launch the car in 2027, the report said.
