There’s been growing speculation recently as to Apple’s plan for developing an electric vehicle. Based on reports last week, it looked as though Hyundai was set to offer the chassis for the Apple Car while subsidiary Kia would handle manufacturing. Hyundai has since confirmed this isn’t the case.
Back in January, Hyundai released a statement confirming it was talking to Apple about a self-driving car. However, they were just talks and Apple was also talking with other automakers. As Bloomberg reports, Hyundai has now confirmed it is no longer in talks with Apple. People “familiar with the matter” have also told Bloomberg that the talks ended weeks ago.
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts Apple intends to launch its car in 2025, which seems increasingly optimistic the longer it takes for a manufacturing deal to be struck. Hyundai’s E-GMP electric car chassis also seemed like an excellent choice, offering 18-minute fast charges, 248 miles of range, and acceleration from 0-60mph in under 3.5 seconds as a starting point.
There are a number of other automakers Apple can discuss its project with, but they all have their own electric models to consider, too. There’s also the ongoing question of how serious Apple is about producing a car, considering we’ve been hearing rumors for years.
