The Apple car shifts gear, could debut in 2028 with reduced autonomy

Render of Apple CarPlay infotainment system (Image: Apple)

Apple has reportedly scaled back its decade-old automotive project, shifting from a fully self-driving car to an electric vehicle similar to Tesla's. The anticipated "Apple Car" launch, initially targeted for 2026, is now expected in 2028. The autonomous features have been downgraded from Level 5 (full automation) to Level 2+ (partial automation), offering limited self-driving capabilities like lane centring and braking, still requiring the driver's full attention.

This revised strategy marks a pivotal moment for Apple, seen internally as a make-or-break scenario. The company is in talks with potential European manufacturing partners for the scaled-down project. Despite the shift, Apple aims to eventually introduce a Level 4 autonomous system.

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Nissan denies being in talks with Apple over its autonomous car

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According to the newest updates, don't expect Nissan to work with Apple on its autonomous car initiative. The Japanese car manufacturer issued a statement denying that it's in talks with Apple to develop its long-rumoured car. Financial Times reported earlier that Apple approached Nissan about a potential partnership "in recent months." 

But Nissan told Reuters it isn't meeting with Apple about this project. A spokesperson for the company said, "However, Nissan is always open to exploring collaborations and partnerships to accelerate industry transformation." 

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Apple Car's production won't involve Hyundai and Kia

Source: 9to5Mac

New regulatory filings from Hyundai confirm that the carmaker and its subsidiary Kia Motors are no longer in talks with Apple about developing its much-rumoured self-driving car. At the very least, they aren't willing to share details in public anymore. 

Apple was reportedly "upset" by Hyundai's statements last month that it was in talks with Apple about a potential partnership to develop the Apple Car. And Kia was supposedly the one who will be manufacturing the vehicle. But then, Hyundai backtracked to say it was in discussion with different car manufacturers on self-driving tech, but that it didn't have specific information to share.

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Hyundai execs are reportedly 'divided' over possible Apple Car partnership

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We've heard rumours that Apple is in talks with Hyundai about developing its yet-to-be-confirmed Apple Car. And a new report from Reuters focuses on reluctance from the Korean car manufacturer's side. The report claims that Hyundai's executives are divided over the idea of collaborating with Apple. The primary concern is that the deal might turn Hyundai into a contract manufacturer for another brand, which an unnamed Hyundai executive claims they don't really do.

Their discussions reportedly began back in 2018 when Apple's car initiative was headed by Alexander Hitzinger. Hitzinger now works for Volkswagen. The talks stalled supposedly because of Hyundai's reluctance to work with other companies. The carmaker doesn't want to be like Foxconn for Apple's vehicles. But Hyundai has excess capacity, and contract manufacturing will help it secure production volume.

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