Though it never spoke publicly about its automotive ambitions, Apple was almost certainly developing a car before reportedly abandoning its work in recent months. We’re now hearing that it might not give up completely, as new reports point to the tech giant partnering with an existing OEM, which in this case appears to be Rivian.
DigiTimes reported that Apple is exploring a partnership with an EV startup, citing “speculation among supply chains.” The company’s years of development work likely yielded valuable knowledge on autonomous vehicles and EV technology, and teaming up with a new but established automaker could bring those discoveries to light without Apple having to go to the trouble of building and selling a car of its own.
While it’s worth noting that this is more speculation built on years of rumors, so it’s unclear what, if anything, could come out of the reports. Rivian has a few big years ahead of it, with the development of the new R2 and R3 vehicles, but its current models have been too expensive to appeal to the general car-buying public.
For Apple, an automotive partnership could be the shot in the arm it needs to bolster revenues as people shy away from annual iPhone upgrades and other products like the Vision Pro remain far too pricey and niche to break into the mainstream. That said, Rivian doesn’t currently even offer Apple CarPlay in its vehicles, so a move to partner with the tech company would represent a significant shift in its in-cabin philosophy and experience.
[Image: Rivian]
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