Photo: Slashgear
We’re getting hint after hint after hint that an Apple Car is on its way, and yet, all the officials involved in the project struggle to keep all details secret simply because that’s the way Apple likes to do business.
Foxconn, currently the number one iPhone maker out there and Apple’s biggest partner in the tech world, has announced that it plans to produce electric vehicles in North America.
And according to chairman Young Liu, the company has to choose between the Wisconsin plant, which was initially supposed to be used as an LCD production unit, and a facility in Mexico. A decision is likely to be made by July.
At first glance, Foxconn wants to expand its business into the booming EV market, especially because it has already announced partnerships with Fisker and China-based Geely. And given the Wisconsin plant was originally part of an LCD manufacturing project and demand for such panels is declining as the world is moving to OLED, assigning a new task to this facility makes sense in the long term.
At the end of the day, the decision to build EVs in North America might be related to Apple. Right now, Foxconn is Apple’s biggest iPhone partner, and Apple is Foxconn’s biggest customer.
As everybody knows already, Apple is developing an Apple Car. The company has been struggling to find someone to manufacture the vehicle, as it currently lacks the resources and the know-how to do it.
Apple originally planned to turn to a traditional carmaker for the whole thing, but due to the failed discussions with Hyundai, Nissan, and a bunch of others, the Cupertino-based tech giant has decided to embrace an approach inspired by the iPhone. It now plans to use a contract manufacturer, and Foxconn is one of the companies likely to handle the production of the EV.
Not if you ask Foxconn, though. The Apple Car “is still a rumor,” the company’s CEO said, obviously knowing how critical it is for Apple to avoid spilling the beans on such a big project.
And according to chairman Young Liu, the company has to choose between the Wisconsin plant, which was initially supposed to be used as an LCD production unit, and a facility in Mexico. A decision is likely to be made by July.
At first glance, Foxconn wants to expand its business into the booming EV market, especially because it has already announced partnerships with Fisker and China-based Geely. And given the Wisconsin plant was originally part of an LCD manufacturing project and demand for such panels is declining as the world is moving to OLED, assigning a new task to this facility makes sense in the long term.
At the end of the day, the decision to build EVs in North America might be related to Apple. Right now, Foxconn is Apple’s biggest iPhone partner, and Apple is Foxconn’s biggest customer.
As everybody knows already, Apple is developing an Apple Car. The company has been struggling to find someone to manufacture the vehicle, as it currently lacks the resources and the know-how to do it.
Apple originally planned to turn to a traditional carmaker for the whole thing, but due to the failed discussions with Hyundai, Nissan, and a bunch of others, the Cupertino-based tech giant has decided to embrace an approach inspired by the iPhone. It now plans to use a contract manufacturer, and Foxconn is one of the companies likely to handle the production of the EV.
Not if you ask Foxconn, though. The Apple Car “is still a rumor,” the company’s CEO said, obviously knowing how critical it is for Apple to avoid spilling the beans on such a big project.
Google News