Apple suppliers vying for Apple Car contracts, says report

Apple Car Concept
Apple Car Concept (Image credit: Vanarama)

What you need to know

  • Rumors of an Apple Car continue to persist.
  • A new report says two of Apple's major suppliers are possible candidates for production.
  • The report still notes that Apple may choose an established car manufacturer as a partner rather than one of its current suppliers.

A new report says that two major Apple suppliers are among possible candidates to help supply Apple Car.

From Digitimes:

Apple suppliers Foxconn and Luxshare Precision are among possible candidates to produce the rumored Apple Car, as both companies have made forays into the future vehicle market, according to industry sources.As the world's largest assembler of iPhones, Taiwan-based Foxconn expanded its business into the future vehicle industry in 2021. Meanwhile, China-based Luxshare reached a strategic cooperation agreement with Chery recently to build electric vehicles (EVs).

The report cites experts who say it is too early to assume that Apple has finished designing and testing its Apple Car, despite reports of a debut or unveiling in 2023 or 2024.

The report says that some sources believe Apple might not initially work with partners like Foxconn from the outset, but that Foxconn and Luxshare could play a key role down the line. The report continues:

According to the sources, some analysts have argued that Foxconn would not be likely to become the leading manufacturer of the Apple Car, as they believe South Korea-based Hyundai Motor and Canada-based Magna International, both of which have been in partnership talks with Apple, hold advantages over Foxconn when it comes to car manufacturing.

This echoes previous reports of multiple conversations Apple has had with manufacturers including Kia and Hyundai over making an Apple Car, possibly even on U.S. soil.

Apple's automobile is expected to be an electric vehicle with some autonomous driving capabilities, although little is known about the secretive 'Project Titan'.

Stephen Warwick
News Editor

Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design.

Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple. Follow him on Twitter @stephenwarwick9

1 Comment
  • Oh, wow! I guess since Foxconn has decided to start making car components in 2021, that they will naturally transition into making fully fledged vehicles. Give us a break. There is a lot more rules and regulations for vehicles that can drive on the road. Not to mention all the testing, and safety certifications that are needed for every vehicle that will be driving on the roads. I wonder how Apples crash tests would compare to the other vehicle manufactures? Lol. Look at Rivian just told all their pre-order customers that you will now have to spend up to an additional $20,000, if you want to get your pre-ordered Rivian vehicle. Talk about a kick in the crotch. Plus Apple wants to come out of the gate with a fully autonomous vehicle instead of driver controlled vehicles. In many cites around the world where fully autonomous vehicles have been granted testing. Are all either restricted to operate with a certain region, or they are geofenced to a certain region. Many are currently not allowed to operate on highways, and if they are allowed, then they must still have a human operator on board. Waymo, Tesla, and others have all come across all of these restrictions that are put in place today. For instance in Phoenix Arizona where Waymo has been operating with an autonomous ride hailing service for a while now. Is only allowed to service customers in a specific region, and cannot operate out of that region. Many of the existing taxi and ride hailing services still want to make a living, and were afraid that Waymo would kill off their existing businesses. All of this comes into play. So if the rumours are true that Apple's first vehicles will be fully autonomous, without a steering wheel, break, or gas peddles. Then not only does Apple have a long road ahead of themselves, but all other fully autonomous vehicles do as well. A lot of the legislation today needs to change to allow more autonomous vehicles on the road. Plus insurance companies are going to have to change as well.