Apple Reportedly Sent Team of Employees to South Korea to Discuss Apple Car Development

A team of Apple employees that are part of Apple Car's development reportedly visited South Korea on a secret business trip to meet with. local companies, such as LG, the SK Group, and others, to discuss Apple's automotive ambitions and possible business opportunities.

Apple car wheel icon feature blue
That is, at least, according to a report citing South Korean sources from Taiwanese DigiTimes, who claim that during their trip, the employees met with LG and the SK Group, a prominent South Korean company consisting of 95 subsidiary companies, to discuss the Apple Car.

The report says that the meeting was part of Apple's continued efforts to find partners suitable for joining its Apple Car supply chain. Apple is said to be actively seeking new suppliers and major business partners that will help launch its autonomous vehicle.

A separate report by The Korea Times cites a senior executive who said that Apple officials were in South Korea to seek "business partners in Korea for its EV business" and that "without partnerships with Korean vendors, Apple won't be able to complete its EV business plan." The executive said talks are "still in the early stages."

The report continues noting that Apple held "advanced" meetings with subsidiaries of SK Group and LG Electronics. Apple is possibly eyeing partners in South Korea thanks to its alleged plan to use lithium iron phosphate batteries in the Apple Car, which South Korean suppliers are currently mass-producing.

While Apple is seeking suppliers outside of the United States, the company is also reportedly committed to ensuring that the battery used in the Apple Car will be produced in the United States. Speculation may lead some to believe that part of Apple's goal in South Korea was an attempt to convince suppliers to build factories in the United States.

Apple has been working on its autonomous vehicle for the past few years, but it's not expected to be official until at least 2025, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Popular Stories

iphone 16 pro ghost hand

5 Reasons to Skip This Year's iPhone 17 Pro

Thursday July 10, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series in two months, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

Apple Says iPhone Driver's Licenses Will Expand to These 8 U.S. States

Tuesday July 8, 2025 11:26 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly since it was announced in 2021, with only nine U.S. states, Puerto Rico,...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro to Reverse iPhone X Design Decision

Monday July 7, 2025 9:46 am PDT by
Since the iPhone X in 2017, all of Apple's highest-end iPhone models have featured either stainless steel or titanium frames, but it has now been rumored that this design decision will be coming to an end with the iPhone 17 Pro models later this year. In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo today, the account Instant Digital said that the iPhone 17 Pro models will have an aluminum...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

Leaker Reveals Amount of RAM in iPhone 17 Through iPhone 17 Pro Max

Wednesday July 9, 2025 8:08 am PDT by
Three out of four iPhone 17 models will feature more RAM than the equivalent iPhone 16 models, according to a new leak that aligns with previous rumors. The all-new iPhone 17 Air, the iPhone 17 Pro, and the iPhone 17 Pro Max will each be equipped with 12GB of RAM, according to Fixed Focus Digital, an account with more than two million followers on Chinese social media platform Weibo. The...
apple account card feature

Apple Account Card Expanding to More Countries

Tuesday July 8, 2025 7:34 pm PDT by
Apple is expanding the ability to add an Apple Account Card to the Wallet app to more countries, according to backend Apple Pay changes. With iOS 15.5, Apple updated the Wallet app to allow users to add an Apple Account Card, which displays the Apple credit balance associated with an Apple ID. If you receive an Apple gift card, for example, it is added to an Apple Account that is also...
macbook pro blue green

M5 MacBook Pro No Longer Coming in 2025

Thursday July 10, 2025 12:38 pm PDT by
Apple does not plan to refresh any Macs with updated M5 chips in 2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Updated MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models are now planned for the first half of 2026. Gurman previously said that Apple would debut the M5 MacBook Pro models in late 2025, but his newest report suggests that Apple is "considering" pushing them back to 2026. Apple is now said to be...
iOS 26 Feature

Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 3

Monday July 7, 2025 1:20 pm PDT by
Apple is continuing to refine and update iOS 26, and beta three features smaller changes than we saw in beta 2, plus further tweaks to the Liquid Glass design. Apple is gearing up for the next phase of beta testing, and the company has promised that a public beta is set to come out in July. Transparency In some apps like Apple Music, Podcasts, and the App Store, Apple has toned down the...
iCloud General Feature Redux

iPhone Users Who Pay for iCloud Storage Receive These Five Perks

Wednesday July 9, 2025 9:20 am PDT by
If you pay for iCloud storage on your iPhone, did you know that Apple offers you five perks beyond the extra storage space, at no additional cost? Here are the perks included with all iCloud+ plans:Private Relay keeps your Safari browsing history entirely private from network providers, websites, and even Apple. Hide My Email generates unique, random email addresses whenever needed. Hom...

Top Rated Comments

bivalvegruff Avatar
51 months ago
Apple sent team of employees to North Korea to discuss mass surveillance.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Blackstick Avatar
51 months ago

Apple is completely incapable of making the cost-effective car that the world needs. They are capable of producing an overpriced car that doesn't sell and is shelved a few years later at the cost of Billions.
Your opinion reads like the iPhone doubters in 2005. ('https://www.dslreports.com/forum/r12798022-Why-Apple-must-come-out-with-iPhone')
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
LFC2020 Avatar
51 months ago
Digitimes again ?‍♂️?‍♂️?‍♂️?‍♂️?‍♂️
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
citysnaps Avatar
51 months ago

Apple is completely incapable of making the cost-effective car that the world needs. They are capable of producing an overpriced car that doesn't sell and is shelved a few years later at the cost of Billions.
Yeah...just like Apple's music player and smart phone were overpriced and thus predicted to fail.

Yeppers... Apple, one of the most successful companies on the globe with 150,000 employees worldwide has no idea what they're doing.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
51 months ago
Just focus on collaborating with Tesla. All problems will be solved.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Wildkraut Avatar
51 months ago
And 5-8 years later they‘ll add their iCar C1 to a legacy list. W00t? Repair? No way, too old!

During these 5-8 years, we will see stuff like:

* Windshield replacement costs: 10k
* Apple tyre that needs to be activated in FindMyWheels: 1000€£$ per tyre.
* iCar becomes incompatible with iOS25 and doesn’t turn on anymore.
* Firmware update breaks autopilot and drives iCar into the next lake. Apple downplays it with just 0.3% of iCars affected.
* iOS falsely flags your photos as child porn and disables your AppleID making your iCars steering wheel becomes unresponsive while driving.
* Your street becomes incompatible with iCarMaps, you file a bug to feedback@apple.com -> case closed: duplicate.
* Apple reject repairs if your iCar shows evidence of crashes or collisions, simply because it’s too dangerous to repair the iCar due to the battery.
* You’re autopiloting it wrong.
* Tinted side-windows peeling off.
* Battery draining.
* MiFi enforcement of iPedal compatible shoes.
* Multiuser subscription to allow iCar usage by more than one person.
* iCar wrongly drives German user to Sweet Home Alabama instead of Home
* MacRumors posting Deals for iCar Bumpers and Cases
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)