Apple Rumoured to be Working with Kia to Come Out With Apple Cars from 2024

When it comes to technology, Apple wants to do it all.

Its first notable breakthrough was the MacBook Air, which Steve Jobs famously pulled out of a Manilla envelope.

The world stood up and took notice, but Apple was far from done.

It then revolutionised the mobile phone industry with the introduction of the iPhone, changing the way we use our phones forever.

It also came out with a watch and some earphones, but no one really cares about those.

Apple Fan: *gasps*

Now, it seems that Apple is making a foray into the automotive industry.

Apple Rumoured to be Working with Kia to Come Out With Apple Cars from 2024

Apple is close to finalizing a deal with Hyundai-Kia to manufacture an Apple-branded autonomous electric vehicle, according to CNBC.

What might sadden fans is that it’s reportedly called the “Apple Car” and not iCar, as some would have predicted.

The Apple Car is reportedly being developed by a team at Apple, and is scheduled to go into production in 2024.

No agreement between Apple and Kia has been reached yet, though, so the expected date of production could be pushed back.

Other reports, however, suggest the deal could be struck soon.

South Korean daily DongA reported that Apple will invest US$3.6 billion (S$4.8 billion) in a collaboration with Kia to build the Apple Car at a facility in Georgia, US.

The report claimed the deal could be signed as soon as next Wednesday (17 Feb), with the target of manufacturing 100,000 Apple Cars a year.

Not Just a Kia Model Featuring Apple Software

Now, if you think Apple is simply slapping a logo of a half-bitten Apple on a Kia car, Tim Cook would shake his head in disappointment.

Sources who spoke to CNBC said that Apple wants to control the software and hardware that will go into their vehicles.

So this really will be an Apple Car, and not just a Kia model with Apple software.

Fully Autonomous Vehicles

According to one CNBC source, the first Apple Cars will not be designed to have a driver.

This doesn’t mean it’s something you just display in your living room, of course.

Apple reportedly aims to make these cars fully autonomous, electric vehicles designed to operate without a driver.

This means, the source speculated, that Apple could initially focus on food delivery operations and firms incorporating robotaxis.

At this point, there’s still so much we don’t know about the proposed Apple Car, so we have no idea what these cars will be used for, or what they’ll look like.

But whether it’ll be used for everyday rides, food deliveries, or as robotaxis, one thing is for sure: it’ll be pretty damn expensive.

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