What you need to know
- Apple is reportedly talking to more car companies about helping it produce Apple Cars.
- Talk of a 2024 ramp-up to mass production is also reported.
Apple is reportedly talking to multiple companies across Japan and South Korea about them helping build Apple Car, a project that is now vaguely being reported for mass production in 2024.
According to the DigiTimes report, Apple is talking to Asian suppliers and carmakers about the possibility of ramping up to mass production in 2024. Companies in Japan and South Korea are thought to be among those being sounded out, according to the report.
According to that report, Apple and the suppliers are discussing whether the 2024 date is possible due to the ongoing component shortages that have impacted other car companies, including Tesla. However, there is already plenty of doubt about whether DigiTimes is on the money with this report, thanks in part to its poor record with these things. That being said, reports of Apple speaking to car companies like Kia and Hyundai have circulated before today.
Apple Car is a project that has been on the radar for years now and it's gone through a considerable turnover of staff in recent years. It still isn't clear exactly what the project is, with some reports having it being an electric vehicle while others suggest it is Apple-built self-driving technology that will be licensed out to traditional manufacturers like Ford and others.
At this point, it is almost impossible to know exactly what Apple Car is. It may stay that way until Apple announces it, although 2024 does simultaneously seem both a long time into the future and just around the corner.
