Korean Report Says Kia Partnership With Apple Still Possible

Apple and Hyundai subsidiary Kia signed a memorandum of understanding last year, agreeing to pursue cooperation in eight sectors, including electric vehicles, according to a new report from South Korean news site Chosun Biz, cited by Reuters.

kia featured
Earlier this month, following weeks of rampant "Apple Car" rumors, Hyundai and Kia in regulatory filings said they are not in discussions with Apple to co-operate on development of a self-driving electric vehicle. This came just weeks after Hyundai released a statement indicating that Apple was in talks with a number of automakers, including Hyundai, regarding development of autonomous electric vehicles.

Today's report suggests a partnership may still be possible for Kia, claiming that negotiations with Apple "are not completely canceled," although the talks are said to be "experiencing difficulties." The scope of the negotiations is "wide" with room to grow, according to the report. Apple and Kia could end up partnering on "last mile" transportation with Kia's electric scooters, for example, rather than a full-out vehicle.

In any case, the "Apple Car" is believed to be years away from release, with estimates ranging from 2024 all the way to 2028.

Tag: Kia

Popular Stories

m5 macbook pro deal

Why You Shouldn't Buy the Next MacBook Pro

Tuesday February 10, 2026 4:27 pm PST by
Apple is planning to launch new MacBook Pro models as soon as early March, but if you can, this is one generation you should skip because there's something much better in the works. We're waiting on 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, with few changes other than the processor upgrade. There won't be any tweaks to the design or the display, but later this...
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3

Wednesday February 11, 2026 10:07 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3, the latest updates to the iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 operating systems that came out in September. The new software comes almost two months after Apple released iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. According to Apple's release notes, ...
Apple Logo Zoomed

Apple Expected to Launch These 10+ Products Over the Coming Months

Tuesday February 10, 2026 6:33 am PST by
It has been a slow start to 2026 for Apple product launches, with only a new AirTag and a special Apple Watch band released so far. We are still waiting for MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, the iPhone 17e, a lower-cost MacBook with an iPhone chip, long-rumored updates to the Apple TV and HomePod mini, and much more. Apple is expected to release/update the following products...
iPhone 16e Bottom Crop

Apple Reportedly Unveiling a New iPhone Next Week

Tuesday February 10, 2026 1:51 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report said the iPhone 17e will be announced in a press release on the Apple Newsroom website, so do not expect an event for this device specifically. The iPhone 17e will be a spec-bumped successor to the iPhone 16e. Rumors claim the device will have four key...
Apple Logo Black

Apple Acquires New Database App

Wednesday February 11, 2026 6:44 am PST by
Apple acquired Canadian graph database company Kuzu last year, it has emerged. The acquisition, spotted by AppleInsider, was completed in October 2025 for an undisclosed sum. The company's website was subsequently taken down and its Github repository was archived, as is commonplace for Apple acquisitions. Kuzu was "an embedded graph database built for query speed, scalability, and easy of ...

Top Rated Comments

65 months ago
Kia has proven itself to be a competitive and reliable car company, especially in the last 5 years. Most People who speak ill of Kia clearly haven’t had one in the last 10 years. They’ve come a looooong way. Reliability and design is now among the top. Take a look at the Telluride, and the new 2021 Sorento. This isn’t your grandmother’s Kia.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
65 months ago
Man this story just keeps getting more interesting. It’s like a reality tv show.

Which car brand will Apple give the rose to?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
65 months ago
And in other news:
[HEADING=2]Hyundai will recall 82,000 Kona EVs to replace batteries[/HEADING]
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ipedro Avatar
65 months ago
Hyundai/KIA were given a time out and made to think that Apple could pick someone else because they broke the sacred first rule of Apple Club that you don’t talk about Apple Club.

In the end, Tim Cook will make the best decision for the company and if that’s KIA, then he’ll call them back after they’ve had their time out.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ericwn Avatar
65 months ago
KIA is a joke in the UK.
It has to be as there is no Rover anymore to laugh about.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BigMac? Avatar
65 months ago
Yeah, KIA-Hyundai Corp is a great choice.
another possibility could be working with Magna Corporation (they are building high quality cars for many different carmakers like:

* Jaguar E-Pace, since 2017.
* BMW 5er (G30), since 2017.
* Mercedes-Benz G-Klasse, W463, since 2018.
* Jaguar I-Pace, since 2018.
* BMW Z4 (G29), since 2018.
* Toyota Supra, since 2019.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)