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| Kuo feeds rumors of an Apple car from Hyundai |
A trusted analyst at TF Securities (Ming-Chi Kuo) has confirmed reports that Apple and Hyundai are jointly developing electric cars.
In a research report, Kuo said: The first Apple car will be based on Hyundai's E-GMP platform for battery-powered electric vehicles.
The E-GMP platform, announced in December last year, is a special platform for electric vehicles that consists of two engines, a five-link rear suspension system, an integrated drive axle, a battery, a charging system and other parts of the body.
Starting this year, the E-GMP platform will become the basis for modern electric vehicles.
The South Korean company claims that E-GMP vehicles can theoretically reach a range of 500 km when fully charged.
The battery also has a capacity of 80% of its capacity in 18 minutes with fast charging, although the performance of individual cars will of course vary by design.
Hyundai's first Apple car will be produced by Guo, but other cars that work with General Motors in the US and PSA Group in Europe are also possible.
The analyst noted that electric cars contain 40 to 50 times more parts than smartphones. This clearly shows that if Apple wants to produce cars on time, it has to rely on the resources available to the automaker.
The tech giant will not be able to build its own auto supply chain (devices like the iPhone and iPad) without causing major delays. Consequently, Apple is expected to tap into the supply chain resources of its auto partners.
Hyundai Motor is set to lead the design and production of first vehicle parts, while its small subsidiary Kia will be responsible for automobile production in the United States.
Hyundai confirmed local reports last month that it was in talks with Apple before withdrawing its statement.
The final version of the statement reads: We have received requests from several companies for potential cooperation in developing autonomous electric vehicles. As the discussions are still in their infancy, no decision has been made yet.
Reuters recently reported that Hyundai management was divided about the prospect of working with Apple, citing an anonymous executive who said: We are sorry to find out how to do it, whether it is good or not, and we are not family. Make cars for cars. In other cases, this doesn't seem to mean that working with Apple always produces good results.
Kuo believes that due to the longer development cycle, higher verification requirements, more complex supply chains, and vastly different sales and support services, Apple vehicles could be launched as early as 2025.