Just a few weeks ago, the news was that Hyundai had revealed that it had spoken with Apple to collaborate on a car project. Hyundai then backed down by removing any mention of Apple from its statement. Now, it looks like Hyundai is going one step further by claiming that its collaboration with Apple wouldn’t have worked out anyway.
Now, some Hyundai executives are said to be raising concerns about becoming an Apple contract manufacturer, according to a report from Reuters.
Hyundai does not want to become a subcontractor for another brand. On a financial results call, a Hyundai executive said: “We are not a company that makes cars for others. Not that working with Apple always produces good results.
A source of Reuters elaborated a little more on this saying that “Apple is the boss. they do their marketing, they make their products, they make their brand. Hyundai is also the boss. And that doesn’t work well.”
Another Hyundai executive told Reuters that Hyundai doesn’t want to become Foxconn, they don’t want to make the car for Apple. “Initially, a cooperation would help promote the Hyundai or Kia brand. But in the medium or long term, we would only produce the shell of the cars, and Apple would make the brains”, he would have said.
A source of Reuters It also indicates that, regarding the manufacture of the car, Apple would like “it to be made in the United States.” They mention that Hyundai subsidiary Kia would supposedly have production capacity at its Georgia factory in the US (in case Apple needs a little help after all).
This whole story makes Hyundai a jilted lover who claims that he had a collaboration with Apple, so that Apple then tries to shut them up, and that results in Hyundai yelling from the rooftops that it wasn’t going to work either, and at the same time leaving the door open saying that their production line in Georgia is available… Eager to know what comes next.
Not surprisingly, Apple has not commented on the Reuters report.
For all the rumors and information about the Apple car, visit our article about the Apple Car.
Original article published in Macworld UK.
