Apple to Invest $3.6 Billion in Kia Motors for Apple Car Production

Apple is rumored to be planning to invest 4 trillion won ($3.6 billion) in Kia Motors as part of a planned manufacturing partnership between the two companies, according to Korean site DongA Ilbo (via Bloomberg).

Apple car wheel icon feature triad
Apple and Kia (an affiliate of Hyundai) are said to be establishing a production relationship that will see Kia build Apple Cars at its U.S. facility located in Georgia.

Apple could sign a deal with Kia as soon as February 17, with the aim of introducing Apple Cars in 2024, though that release timeline is earlier than some prior launch estimates. Apple and Kia are aiming to produce 100,000 vehicles per year when manufacturing kicks off.

There have been multiple reports of a partnership between Apple and Hyundai, and prior reports have suggested that Hyundai's Kia brand will handle manufacturing. Earlier in January, Korea IT News also said that electric vehicles manufactured by Apple would likely be made at Kia's Georgia factory.

When rumors of talks between Hyundai and Apple first hit, Hyundai confirmed that it was holding discussions with Apple, but later revised the statement and eliminated the Apple mention.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said today that Apple is planning to collaborate with Hyundai and will use Hyundai's E-GMP battery electric vehicle platform for its first vehicle chassis in addition to using the Kia factory for U.S. production. Kuo believes an Apple Car will come in 2025 "at the earliest" but Apple is already on a tight schedule if it wants to meet that deadline, so a launch could be pushed back further.

Related Roundup: Apple Car

Top Rated Comments

steve09090 Avatar
35 months ago

Nothing says 'this is our first attempt' like Kia.

Maybe I am being harsh. Is Kia a premium vehicle now? Last I checked speakers were options.
Mercedes in Germany & Jeep in the USA are rated well below Kia (in top position) in reliability.

Hyundai's Genesis is rated the highest of any luxury car for reliability. And of course, Hyundai own Kia. So I reckon Apple are in pretty good hands.

Edit: Genesis was rated best premium brand for the last 4 years!

https://www.carsguide.com.au/car-news/kia-the-best-quality-new-car-brand-in-2020-study-as-tesla-debuts-in-last-place-unofficially

Double Edit: Here is the actual report: https://www.jdpower.com/sites/default/files/file/2020-06/2020070%20U.S.%20IQS.pdf
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
soa Avatar
35 months ago
Hopefully kia just handles the production and apple designs the whole car instead of ripping one off of the kia lineup.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Scoob Redux Avatar
35 months ago

Nothing says 'this is our first attempt' like Kia.

Maybe I am being harsh. Is Kia a premium vehicle now? Last I checked speakers were options.
While my personal cars are Porsche and Tesla, I rent a lot of cars when I travel for work and I love Kia. I always choose them when possible over the alternatives in their categories. Fit and finish as well as features are excellent. This isn't Kia of the old days :)
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
filmantopia Avatar
35 months ago

I still can’t see Apple making a car. Just seems like an investor pipe dream.
Always there are comments like this as rumors brew for a new Apple flagship product. It takes some imagination but it's not hard at all to see Apple doing it.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Bistroengine Avatar
35 months ago

Mercedes in Germany & Jeep in the USA are rated well below Kia (in top position) in reliability.

Hyundai's Genesis is rated the highest of any luxury car for reliability. And of course, Hyundai own Kia. So I reckon Apple are in pretty good hands.

Edit: Genesis was rated best premium brand for the last 4 years!

https://www.carsguide.com.au/car-news/kia-the-best-quality-new-car-brand-in-2020-study-as-tesla-debuts-in-last-place-unofficially

Double Edit: Here is the actual report: https://www.jdpower.com/sites/default/files/file/2020-06/2020070 U.S. IQS.pdf ('https://www.jdpower.com/sites/default/files/file/2020-06/2020070%20U.S.%20IQS.pdf')
My boss just bought a new 2021 Genesis GV80. Hot damn it’s a nice looking SUV! It’s got crazy luxury features all over the place inside too.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Bistroengine Avatar
35 months ago
I still can’t see Apple making a car. Just seems like an investor pipe dream.

I will add, after thinking about it for a bit, I CAN see Apple licensing an advanced version of CarPlay with assisted driving and Apple Maps tied closely together. Take it a step further and the system may even have some type of Augmented Reality heads up display in the windshield also. Also thinking smart phone unlocking and digital car keys would be part of the system as well. Apple's investment with KIA may be to have them build one of the first cars with this advanced CarPlay system built right in. It will still be branded a KIA vehicle but probably advertised with 'Apple Smart Drive' or whatever it ends up being called.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 17

Apple Releases iOS 17.0.2 and iPadOS 17.0.2 for All iPhones and iPads

Tuesday September 26, 2023 12:47 pm PDT by
Apple today released iOS 17.0.2 and iPadOS 17.0.2 updates, with the software coming five days after the releases of iOS 17.0.1 and iPadOS 17.0.1. Today's iOS 17.0.2 and iPadOS 17.0.2 updates arrive as build 21A351 and can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Note that iOS 17.0.2 was previously made available for iPhone...
Apple WWDC23 macOS Sonoma hero

macOS Sonoma Launching This Week With These New Features

Sunday September 24, 2023 12:45 pm PDT by
Apple previously announced that macOS Sonoma will be released this Tuesday, September 26. The free software update includes many new features and changes for the Mac, including the five that we have highlighted below. In addition to these five features, we have shared the full release notes for macOS Sonoma below for a complete overview of everything new. Desktop Widgets macOS Sonoma...
iPhone 15 Pro Lineup Feature

Kuo: iPhone 15 Pro Overheating Issues Likely Due to Thermal Compromises, Not 3nm Node

Tuesday September 26, 2023 9:12 am PDT by
Complaints about heat issues with the iPhone 15 Pro models are not related to TSMC's 3-nanometer node that was used for the A17 Pro chip, according to well-respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Kuo says that overheating could be caused by "compromises made in the thermal system design" that allowed Apple to cut down on the weight of the iPhone 15 Pro models. Kuo says that the reduced heat...
iPhone 16 Side Feature

iPhone 16 to Include an Additional Capacitive 'Capture' Button

Monday September 25, 2023 12:50 pm PDT by
The iPhone 16 series is expected to gain an additional capacitive button, known internally as the "Capture Button." Codenamed "Project Nova," the button is likely to be one of the main selling points of the iPhone 16 lineup, assuming it gets past the initial testing phase. The Capture Button is located on the same side as the Power button, only positioned slightly lower - where the mmWave cutout...
ipad mini blue

Apple to Launch iPad Mini 7 Later This Year, Industry Report Suggests

Monday September 25, 2023 3:16 am PDT by
Apple could be preparing to release a seventh-generation iPad mini before the end of the year, based on a new report by DigiTimes. In an article discussing stagnating global tablet demand in the second half of 2023, the Taiwan-based outlet forecasts an uptick in Apple's share of the market owing to orders for a "small-size" iPad in the fourth quarter. From the report (see bold): In the...
macos sonoma 4

Apple Releases macOS Sonoma With New Widget Features, Safari Updates, Screen Sharing Improvements and More

Tuesday September 26, 2023 10:01 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS 14 Sonoma, the newest version of the operating system that runs on the Mac. macOS Sonoma has been in beta testing for several months, and it is compatible with the 2019 and later iMac, the iMac Pro, the 2018 and later Mac mini, the 2018 and later MacBook Pro, the 2019 and later Mac Pro, and the Mac Studio. The ‌macOS Sonoma update can be downloaded for free on...