Apple's car project has come back to life, understand eight details such as price and foundry in one article

According to foreign media reports, the long-rumored "Apple car" will eventually become a reality, and before this technology giant's car products are finally launched, industry insiders are most concerned about the powertrain of this car, Naming, foundries, and time to market and other 8 major issues.

The Apple car project has experienced twists and turns

As early as 2015, there were media reports that Apple was developing a car project code-named "Titan", but just a few years ago, the project was exposed to problems and was stopped by Apple. Today, Apple cars seem to be back on track. According to CNBC and the Wall Street Journal and other media reports, Apple is negotiating (with multiple manufacturers) to cooperate in the production of cars in the United States. Hyundai Motor initially stated that it was negotiating with Apple, but then withdrew this statement and refuted rumors, announcing that it had not jointly built a car with Apple.

In response, Apple declined to comment. From past experience, the company rarely discusses future products publicly.

However, considering that Apple is the world's most valuable company, its market value of up to 2.3 trillion US dollars often makes other peers hear about it. Therefore, any new products developed by the company are worthy of the industry's full battle.

Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives (Dan Ives) mentioned electric vehicles in a research report and emphasized that the agency believes that Apple's entry into the field of electric vehicles is only a matter of time, not whether it will enter the field.

The following is an inventory of the 8 questions that will most arouse the industry's strong interest before Apple cars are finally listed:

1. Will Apple Car be an electric car?

There is no doubt that the answer to this question will be yes. Apple basically has no chance to occupy a place in the highly competitive diesel locomotive market. Therefore, Apple Car is expected to be a battery-powered car. Considering the company's expertise in battery-powered consumer electronics, it is reasonable for Apple to intend to extend its expertise to the automotive field.

Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas once stated in a research report that “Apple may introduce a higher level or even disruptive battery technology in cars.” However, automotive batteries and consumer products The batteries of electronic products are very different. Therefore, how Apple's battery technology has yet to be verified.

2. Will this car be named iCar?

The code name used when the Apple car project was first exposed was Titan, but the project was canceled around 2016 after several years of development. Some people think that this car should be named iCar, but for a product that sells for at least tens of thousands of dollars, the name seems a bit too cute. But one thing is certain, "Titan" will not become the name of Apple cars, because a full-size pickup truck launched by Nissan in the US market is called Titan.

3. Apple's products are always not cheap, what will the price of this car be?

So far, there is no news on the price of Apple cars. Because Apple has always done a good job of confidentiality, the industry does not even know whether this car will be a passenger car, SUV, pickup or truck, or even other types of models. But according to data from the automotive research website Edmunds, it would be incredible if Apple's car prices were lower than the average price of new cars in the US in the fourth quarter. Last year, the average price of a new car in the United States exceeded $40,000.

4. Who will get the OEM?

Initial reports indicate that Apple is in discussions with South Korean car manufacturer Hyundai Kia. The American technology giant may invest more than $3 billion to support Kia in assembling the car at a plant in Georgia, but Hyundai has clearly announced its withdrawal from negotiations. The Japanese car manufacturer Nissan then threw an olive branch to Apple, expressing its interest in cooperating with each other to produce "Apple cars."

Evercore ISI analyst Chris McNally (Chris McNally) said that there is also a possibility that auto parts manufacturer Magna (Magna International) will participate, the company has the management of complex car production projects for customers experience.

5. Will Apple Cars be a self-driving car?

This seems beyond doubt. Currently, all major automakers and technology companies are developing autonomous vehicles. Therefore, industry analysts believe that it will be surprising if Apple does not do so.

Morgan Stanley analyst Jonas said: “It’s hard to imagine that Apple cars need drivers to participate in driving tasks when they enter the market. Don’t expect Apple to keep the steering wheel. Apple cars with steering wheels are just like iPhones that require physicality. The buttons are as incredible as the network cables."

But Wedbush analyst Ives said that Apple may need a “longer time frame” if it is launched as a self-driving car. This is to a certain extent comparable to that of Chief Executive Tim Cook when launching new products. The cautious attitude is related. In fact, both automakers and technology companies have yet to solve the most difficult challenges related to autonomous driving.

6. When will this car be launched?

The industry generally believes that this car will take several years to come out. Ives said the company may launch Apple cars as early as 2024.

The model of the automobile industry is usually to announce the vehicles that are ready to go on the market in advance, but it often takes several years before they actually go on sale. For example, Tesla is used to releasing new cars two years before the product goes on sale. Therefore, it is natural if Apple starts accepting reservations as soon as this car is released.

Ives emphasized that it usually takes 3 to 5 years to design and produce a new car from the ground up. Therefore, if Apple wants to come out in 2024, it may need "extraordinary car production capacity", and solve battery production problems and overcome Regulatory obstacles.

7. Why did Apple choose to launch car products now?

This issue is not complicated. Under the joint promotion of technology and environmental factors, it is almost a matter of course for Apple to choose to launch auto products at the moment.

First, battery technology has been improved, and the development of autonomous vehicle systems has reached the point where unconventional cars can eventually be manufactured. Second, the environmentally friendly environment brought by the US government after the change of term. Ives pointed out, “We think all this shows that the golden age of electric vehicles is coming. The United States under the Biden administration is expected to set off the second wave of environmental protection, and China’s consumer demand will also soar.”

The industry predicts that the Biden government is expected to introduce incentives to encourage the production and popularization of electric vehicles because electric vehicles will not emit the exhaust gas that causes climate change like internal combustion engines.

8. Will the situation take a turn for the worse and the Apple car project will be canceled again?

This is also one of the most concerning issues in the industry. After all, it has been reported that Apple's previous car projects have been suspended due to poor progress. Perhaps the biggest risk is that Apple will think that the cost of entering the car manufacturing industry is too high. As we all know, car manufacturing requires a lot of cash. Tesla CEO Elon Musk previously publicly admitted that when Model 3 fell into production hell in 2018, Tesla ran out of funds within a few weeks.

Although Apple will not experience a shortage of funds in the short term, shareholders may not respond friendly to loss-making venture capital when other products are more profitable.