Had been Rumors of Kia-Apple Tie-up Premature?
08 February, 2021
Reports of a good tie-up between Kia and Apple to build up electric cars might have been premature.
Bloomberg reported last Fri that Apple has "paused" negotiations with Kia's parent company Hyundai since it was upset about leaks from Kia that sparked a inventory bonanza here.
CNBC earlier claimed Apple and Kia were "close to finalizing" a package to "produce an Apple-branded autonomous electric powered vehicle at the Kia assembly plant in West Point, Georgia."
An unofficial artist's impression of Apple's electric strategy car /Courtesy of MacRumors
But Nikkei Business reported that Apple was likewise in talks with at least six Japanese automakers about contract creation, and Apple has commented on none of the reviews.
Hyundai explains its posture on Monday, but industry insiders believe it'll only be able to repeat that nothing has been decided.
Sector watchers expect the negotiations to drag on. Apple evidently hopes to start making the electric autos in 2024, hence there is still lots of period. But others say there are not many automakers in the U.S. apart from Kia that could manufacture EVs.
Kim Pil-soo at Daelim University said, "You cannot ignore the brand electric power of Apple, however the Korean automaker probably wants to avoid becoming a subcontractor of the U.S. tech giant."
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