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Apple is expected to partner with another automaker to produce its autonomous car, but Nissan has denied recent rumors surrounding partnership talks.
Since January, we've been surrounded by almost daily rumors surrounding the Apple Car. Topics covered ranges from potential partners, feature set, release date, and more. Recent speculation suggests that Apple has approached Nissan in recent months to discuss a potential partnership for an autonomous car. This is at least what the Financial Times claimed. The report explained that negotiations between the two companies were "brief" and that the talks hadn't reached the upper levels of both companies due to disagreements over the specifics of the Apple Car. Interestingly, Nikkei Asia also reported on a similar story. Nissan's biggest concern was said to be its role. According to insiders, the company fears being relegated to a mere "hardware supplier." The reason for this is that the Apple Car will be fully Apple-branded. After all, Cupertino is supposed to be able to develop both the hardware and software.
Apple Car: Rumors will stay with us for a long time
But when it comes to manufacturing, the iPhone manufacturer is dependent on external partners in the automotive industry. Be that as it may. At the latest quarterly figures release, Nissan's COO Ashwani Gupta explained that Nissan is open to partnerships - but only - if the other party adapts to Nissan's services and not the other way around. The COO explained also that Nissan has its own customer base to satisfy and that it will not change the way it manufactures cars. In the course of this, Gupta denied reports that Nissan and Apple are already in talks. However, the company is open to a possible collaboration. Despite the many reports surrounding the Apple Car, an introduction before 2027 / 2028 is rather unlikely. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and Bloomberg have already stated this. Accordingly, the rumor mill will be with us for quite a long time. (Image: Nissan COO/CPO Ashwani Gupta)
