Photo: Volkswagen AG
Reports of Apple’s plans to build a car have been around for years. The Apple Car or Project Titan, as it’s supposedly referred to internally, will be all-electric and, based on most accounts, have a higher level of autonomy, if not be fully autonomous.
The same reports have been picking up speed in recent months, amid speculation on a production start date set for 2024 and rumors about negotiating a partnership with a carmaker. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire and all that, so all this seems to be pointing to the fact that Apple is decidedly working its way toward breaking onto the auto market.
That said, some analysts believe that all the other carmakers, including the only electric vehicle maker right now, Tesla, should be shaking in their boots. Big words have been thrown around, and most of them are based on the idea of the Apple excellence, which is partly due to the strict control over the final product. Lend an ear to only half of what is said online, and you’d still be left with the impression that Apple is coming for the EV crown.
Well, if it is, Volkswagen is not afraid.
Like every other big player on the market, the German carmaker has detailed electrification plans for the coming years and believes itself to be a strong rival to Elon Musk’s Tesla. CEO Herbert Diess tells the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung (via Reuters) that Apple’s move into the EV market is not surprising given Apple’s software and design experience. But it’s not a daunting prospect for VW.
“Still, we are not afraid,” Diess promises. “The car industry is not a typical tech-sector that you could take over at a single stroke,” Diess adds. “Apple will not manage that overnight.”
Then again, even if Volkswagen was losing sleep over the thought of Apple getting to the top of the EV chain before it even had a chance to make the climb, do you think Diess would admit to it publicly?
That said, some analysts believe that all the other carmakers, including the only electric vehicle maker right now, Tesla, should be shaking in their boots. Big words have been thrown around, and most of them are based on the idea of the Apple excellence, which is partly due to the strict control over the final product. Lend an ear to only half of what is said online, and you’d still be left with the impression that Apple is coming for the EV crown.
Well, if it is, Volkswagen is not afraid.
Like every other big player on the market, the German carmaker has detailed electrification plans for the coming years and believes itself to be a strong rival to Elon Musk’s Tesla. CEO Herbert Diess tells the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung (via Reuters) that Apple’s move into the EV market is not surprising given Apple’s software and design experience. But it’s not a daunting prospect for VW.
“Still, we are not afraid,” Diess promises. “The car industry is not a typical tech-sector that you could take over at a single stroke,” Diess adds. “Apple will not manage that overnight.”
Then again, even if Volkswagen was losing sleep over the thought of Apple getting to the top of the EV chain before it even had a chance to make the climb, do you think Diess would admit to it publicly?
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