Hyundai And Kia Confirmed To Have Ended Apple Car Talks

After a series of reports suggesting that the talk between Hyundai and Apple for the production of the Apple Car is coming to an end, it seems like the wind has quickly reversed. Rumors about the two sides halting negotiations started to appear.

And recently, a Bloomberg report stated that Hyundai and its subsidiary Kia Motors have confirmed that they were no longer in discussion with Apple to produce self-driving cars.

Previously, many reports pointed out that Apple was negotiating with Hyundai to co-product the Apple Car. And even Hyundai confirmed this negotiation itself. However, not long after that, the South Korean company had to correct its statement and did say a specific name.

After that, a report showed that Apple was preparing to invest $3.6 billion in a plant of Kia Motors in the US to produce this electric car.

However, sources of Bloomberg said that the negotiation between the two companies seemed to have stopped and that Apple was "upset" about Hyundai's harmful statement when it confirmed the negotiation.

Now, the two Korean car-manufacturers have once again confirmed the situation of the deal.

New filings submitted by Hyundai and Kia confirm that the two companies are no longer in talks with Apple to co-develop self-driving cars. In their filing, the two admitted that they had "talked to a number of companies about developing autonomous electric cars, but no decision was made."

At this point, the fate of the Apple Car project remains unclear in terms of potential manufacturing partners. According to Nikkei, Apple is discussing with at least six car manufacturers for the production of its electric self-driving vehicle.

Regardless of the deal with Hyundai and Kia, Apple seems to have revived interest in its self-driving car project. The project is said to have spanned five years. And after many changes in strategic direction, current reports suggest that Apple is planning to produce an Apple-branded electric vehicle with self-driving capabilities instead of supplying to other companies.

>>> Apple To Invest $3.6 Billion In Kia Motors To Manufacture Apple Car