As a tech nerd and a Gear Head, I love it when my two worlds collide. Hearing the rumors pick up over the past couple of months about the strong possibility of seeing an Apple Car within 5 years made me happy in all the geeky ways, but we are now seeing widespread reports of the breakdown of communications between the necessary parties to bring this to fruition in a short timeline, leading me to ask: "Is it possible to call something dead if it never really existed?!?"
Apple is a notoriously secretive company, doing their very best to keep all product information to themselves a safeguarded secret until they are unveiled in the fashion made famous in 2007 by Steve Jobs with the launch of the original iPhone. In recent years, the currency of Apple rumors has become a hot commodity in the tech world, and many have tried to get the latest scoop from Cupertino. However, as famed leaker Jon Prosser has pointed out, their are many imposters in the rumor game. Including himself, in an effort to prove this theory.
As I have mentioned in past reports, The Apple Car has seen many bumps along the road to reality. Most recently rumors that conversations had started, stalled, been agreed upon, then stalled again between the tech giant and Korean automaker Hyundai.
Many Hyundai executives did not like the idea of being relegated to simply a manufacturer of someone else's product. According to a recent report from Bloomberg, "Hyundai Motor Co. and its affiliate Kia Motors Corp. said that they aren’t in talks with Apple Inc. to develop an autonomous vehicle, responding to intense speculation about the potential new product by the maker of the iPhone." Much like its iPhone manufacturing partners in China, Foxxcon, Hyundai would have simply followed through with executing the Apple design, leveraging their manufacturing skill and capacity to bring to life a completely Apple product.
As the rumors have gained and lost steam, the biggest hitch in the whole agreement revolved around this disagreement between companies. Hyundai supposedly then punted the communication their subsidiary company of Kia, with US manufacturing facilities in Apple CEO's home state of Georgia.
Hearing these most recent reports stating that talks have again stalled between these two companies does not mean that the possibility of a future Apple Car are 100% dead, however we know from another Bloomberg report that Apple has been in conversations with at least 6 other automakers to produce their dream of autonomous transportation. Honda and Mazda said they couldn't comment on rumors that they had been approached by Apple, while Mitsubishi said it had not been contacted and Nissan declined to comment.
We are still holding out hope that we will see that glowing Apple on a self-driving vehicle in the near future. A vehicle that would have all the high-end and futuristic technology we expect from one of the most admired brands of the generation. Know that we here at Garage Talk, especially yours truly will remain plugged in to these rumors, bringing you the best of the best when it comes to speculation to reality.
What are your thoughts? Can you see yourself in an Apple Car? Do you think it would be priced for you? Sign up for a free account and leave your comments down below.
-Cory
Renderings by 9to5Mac and AppleInsider, not the actual vehicle.