Last Thursday Hyundai confirmed that they could be helping Apple build their long-awaited autonomous car, stating: “Apple and Hyundai are in discussion, but as it is at [an] early stage, nothing has been decided.” KTB's Investment and Securities Co-Analyst thinks that “Apple needs to partner with a carmaker because it doesn’t have production capabilities and sales networks to sell its cars. Building up those capabilities can’t be done quickly, so Apple will need a partner for that.” Hyundai is apparently done talking it over, and is now waiting for approval from Apple.
But, within hours, Hyundai got rid of the remark and replaced it with another statement that no longer mentioned the tech company. “We’ve been receiving requests for potential cooperation from various companies regarding development of autonomous EVs. No decisions have been made as discussions are in early stage,” it said. Does this mean that the plans were not approved?
Bloomberg says otherwise, stating that Apple usually keeps much of their plans under wraps, so Apple likely didn't want Hyundai to reveal their plans. If Hyundai and Apple are still in this collaboration, it will give the technology giant many benefits, as Hyundai is racing to release three new EVs by 2025 under their new sub-brand, Ioniq. Also, as Hyundai earlier stated, Apple will have more resources to build their autonomous car. The vehicle is slated to enter production around 2024.
Source Credits: Carscoops, Hyundai
Image Credits: Hyundai
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