Hyundai and Kia Now Say They Aren't in Discussions to Develop Apple Car

Following weeks of rampant Apple Car rumors, Hyundai and its subsidiary Kia today said they are not (or at least no longer) in discussions with Apple to co-operate on development of a self-driving electric vehicle, according to Bloomberg.

Apple and Hyundai feature teal
Hyundai last month confirmed that Apple was in discussions with a variety of global automakers, including Hyundai. However, the automaker walked back the statement just hours later, and merely said that it had "received requests for potential cooperation from various companies regarding development of autonomous EVs."

Bloomberg on Friday reported that talks between Apple and Hyundai had "paused recently," adding that Hyundai's original statement and the subsequent reports "upset Apple," a company known for its culture of secrecy.

Last week, Korean newspaper Dong-A Ilbo reported that Apple was planning to invest the equivalent of $3.6 billion in Kia as part of a planned manufacturing partnership between the two companies that would have seen Kia build the Apple Car at its assembly plant in Georgia. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted that the Apple Car would be based on Hyundai's E-GMP electric vehicle platform, which would have allowed for a range of over 300 miles, acceleration from 0-60 miles per hour in as little as 3.5 seconds, a top speed of 160 miles per hour, up to an 80% charge within 18 minutes, and more.

Nikkei Asia reported that Apple is in discussions with at least six Japanese automakers over potential supply and manufacturing partnerships, so it sounds like Apple is still in the early stage of negotiations with automakers around the world.

In any case, it's believed that the Apple Car is still years away from being released, with predictions ranging from 2024 all the way to 2028.

Tag: Hyundai

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Air Battery Capacity and Weight Allegedly Revealed

Monday May 19, 2025 2:22 am PDT by
Apple is expected to launch an all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air later this year, and while there have been plenty of rumors about the camera's overall design and thinness, we haven't heard any details about the device's weight and battery capacity until now. According to the leaker going by the account name "yeux1122" on the Korean-langauge Naver blog, the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air has a weight ...
Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's CarPlay Ultra Is Here – Does Your iPhone Support It?

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:17 am PDT by
Apple's recently announced CarPlay Ultra promises a deeply integrated in-car experience, but not all iPhone users will be able to take advantage of the new feature. According to Apple's press release, CarPlay Ultra requires an iPhone 12 or later running iOS 18.5 or later. This means if you're using an iPhone 11, iPhone XR, or any older model, you'll need to upgrade your device to access...
Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's 'CarPlay Ultra' Experience Now Available

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:07 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its next-generation CarPlay experience, now dubbed "CarPlay Ultra" begins rolling out today, starting with Aston Martin vehicles. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. CarPlay Ultra is now available with new Aston Martin vehicle orders in the U.S. and Canada. It will also be available for existing models that feature the brand's next-generation ...
WWDC 2025 Banner

Apple Announces WWDC 2025 Schedule, Including Keynote Time

Tuesday May 20, 2025 8:13 am PDT by
Apple today announced a more detailed schedule for its annual developers conference WWDC, which runs from June 9 through June 13. The schedule confirms that Apple's keynote will begin on Monday, June 9 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, with a live stream to be available on Apple.com, in the Apple TV app, and on YouTube. During the keynote, Apple is expected to announce iOS 19, iPadOS 19, macOS 16,...
Apple Glass

Apple Smart Glasses: Everything We Know So Far

Wednesday May 21, 2025 8:21 am PDT by
Google made waves yesterday by showcasing a set of lightweight smart glasses featuring deep Gemini integration and an optional in-lens display. The demo has reignited interest in Apple's own smart glasses project, which has been the subject of rumors for nearly a decade. Here's a recap of where things stand. Current Development Status Apple is actively working on new chips specifically...
macOS 16 visionOS Inspired Feature 1

macOS 16: Everything We Know So Far

Tuesday May 20, 2025 7:31 am PDT by
The Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple's annual developer and software-oriented event, is less than three weeks away. We haven't heard a great deal about macOS 16 ahead of its announcement this year, so we could be in for some major surprises when June 9 rolls around. Here's what we know so far about the next major update to Apple's Mac operating system. macOS 16 Name? Every year ...
Apple Intelligence General Feature

Report: Apple's Next-Gen Version of Siri Is 'On Par' With ChatGPT

Monday May 19, 2025 9:00 am PDT by
Apple has big plans to improve Siri over the next few years, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Drake Bennett report. Some Apple executives are now reportedly pushing to turn Siri into a true ChatGPT competitor. A next-generation, chatbot version of Siri has reportedly made significant progress during testing over the past six months; some executives allegedly now see it as "on par" with recent...

Top Rated Comments

Caliber26 Avatar
56 months ago
Loose lips sink ships.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
syklee26 Avatar
56 months ago
Hyundai/Kia are public company. They were required by securities law of Korea to disclose something this morning (“Response to rumors”) That’s why Apple “cut off negotiation“ with them, so Apple can announce this first. They will “one more thing” this in March. WHy announce something that will not happen for 4-5 years? Because if Hyundai/Kia sign agreement with Apple, they have to disclose this.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
anshuvorty Avatar
56 months ago
Good call by Hyundai/Kia...you have to sell your soul to partner with Apple...Foxconn is a good example...
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Student of Life Avatar
56 months ago
Apple needs them more than Hyundai/Kia needs Apple. If it’s true what other realistic options does Apple have?
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pubb Avatar
56 months ago
I feel like this may be like the Bill Clinton parsing of the word "is".

"No, we are not currently in negotiations" which is totally true.

*walks back into conference room to negotiate with Apple*
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Bluetoot- Avatar
56 months ago

As they shouldn't be.... Do you really think high end Apple wants to associate with budget market vehicles such as Kia or Hyundai? yes I know the sonata is ranked fairly high in the sedan market but they are still budget vehicles.
The Hyundai and Kia brands may be budget, but Hyundai’s manufacturing prowess is nothing to scoff at. You should look it up; it’s quite interesting
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)