Talk of the Apple Car is back: it would be born thanks to Rivian

There is talk of a possible partnership: the American start-up would provide platform and factories, Apple connectivity and autonomous driving

A rendering of the Apple Car

By: Francesco Barontini

Published by: Brian Potter

May 11, 2024 at 3:06am ET

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Is the Apple car to be made or not to be made? It would be nice to know, one might say. The project was launched, then frozen, then put back on track in a big way and then... abandoned again. These days, it seems that Cupertino doesn't want to hear about mobility anymore. Tim Cook is reported to have said that the train has missed the boat, that there are too many delays and that it is better to invest elsewhere.

However, an indiscretion was made a few days ago that puts Apple's electric car back in the limelight. According to DigiTimes, an American technology website, rumours are starting to circulate in the corridors of the Hyperloop (the futuristic ring that houses the headquarters of the technology giant) that Project Titan (the car's codename) could be built with an American zero-emission mobility start-up. And this startup, in all likelihood, should be Rivian.

Give and take

Nothing has yet been leaked on the details of the possible collaboration, of course, but there is speculation that Rivian, fresh from presenting an ambitious plan to expand its range with models such as the R2 and R3, could provide its next-generation platform and production capacity.

Apple Car

A rendering of the Apple car

Rivian R3X

On the other hand, Apple could share all the expertise it has acquired over the past 10 years (the electric car programme has been going on for so long) and offer advantages to Rivian in terms of connectivity and autonomous driving.

A road already mapped out by Huawei and Xiaomi

The obstacles for the partnership to actually take shape are not lacking. Apple has always wanted to maintain a 'closed' system for its products; relying so openly on an external supplier to start a strategic collaboration is not very much in its style.

AI rendering of the Apple Car.

The Apple car hypothesised by artificial intelligence

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However, it is also true that it is one thing to make the electronic products that Apple produces today, and quite another to design and market an electric car. In this sense, China has shown that the only way for companies like Huawei or Xiaomi to enter the world of zero-emission mobility is to form alliances with those who already make cars.

Certainly, seeing two companies like Apple and Rivian would be interesting for many. The two brands (plus the former, but also the latter) are capable of exerting great fascination on consumers, and from their union, if things are done in the right way, a product capable of making really big numbers could emerge.

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