Read more about Apple hires former BMW executive Ulrich Kranz for car project: Report on Business Standard. Apple Inc has hired Ulrich Kranz, a former senior executive at BMW AG s electric car division, to help its vehicle initiatives
Taiwan Just Snubbed The U.S.
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1st Gear: U.S. Sent Taiwan A Letter About The Automotive Chip Shortage And Taiwan Claimed It Didn’t Arrive
A brief catch-up: We know 2020 was a horrible year for the car market. Semiconductor chips, necessary to both the tech industry and the car industry, were hit with a shortage. Semiconductor suppliers favored the tech industry and not the car industry, and now with auto demand returning, car-producing Western nations are trying to get the semiconductor-producing nation of Taiwan to hook them up.
This has not been going all that great, as Taiwan really has all of the chips in its corner, if you don’t mind the pun. My favorite case was when Germany sent Taiwan a letter asking to sort this whole thing out, please, and Taiwan claimed it did not receive the letter. The story was great not only in that sending a letter seemed like such low effort, but also that Taiwan didn’t even acknowledge it. What a snub!
Apple approached Nissan for electric car project; talks ended after disagreement
The contact was brief and the discussions did not advance to senior management level, the report added, citing people briefed on the matter
Reuters | February 15, 2021 | Updated 10:03 IST
Apple Inc approached Japan s Nissan Motor Co Ltd in recent months about a tie-up for its autonomous car project, but the talks ended after disagreement over branding, the Financial Times reported.
The contact was brief and the discussions did not advance to senior management level, the report added, citing people briefed on the matter.
The talks faltered after the iPhone maker asked that Nissan make Apple-branded cars, a demand seen as effectively making the automaker just a hardware supplier, the newspaper reported.
If I was a Chrysler 300 worker I’d be running for the hills, the Infiniti QX60 is going to get redone, and electric cars. All that and more in The Morning Shift for February 11, 2021.
Photo: Eric Thayer (Getty Images)
For Apple fans eagerly waiting for the long-rumored Apple car to become a reality, I have some good news and bad news. The good news: Word is Apple has been chatting with Hyundai and Kia about collaborating on an electric vehicle. The bad news: Those talks have apparently stalled.
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People familiar with the matter said Apple recently hit pause on its discussions with the two Korean auto manufacturers, per a Friday Bloomberg report. The sources, who spoke with the outlet under the condition of anonymity, added that Apple has also been hitting up other automakers for similar plans.