“It won’t be hard for Apple to find a partner to produce electric vehicles.”
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 9th (local time), “After the Hyundai Motor Group revealed that it was not conducting discussions on the development of autonomous vehicles with Apple, Nissan expressed its will to cooperate with Apple. did.
Nissan’s CEO Makoto Uchida said, “We need a new initiative. We need to cooperate through partnerships with companies with knowledge and experience.”
WSJ added that Nissan has over-expanded in the United States in recent years and has room for production capacity. “Nissan is the most likely candidate to seriously discuss with Apple among Japanese automakers,” said Mio Kato, an analyst at Smart Carmari Search.
WSJ analyzed that Nissan’s stock price rose recently, but there was little to justify the stock price in the results released on the day. It is said that the Apple car contract theory raised the stock price. Nissan lowered its sales expectations in the 2020 fiscal year ending in March due to the global semiconductor shortage.
Nikkei (Japan Economic Daily) reported that Apple may not rely on only one company recently, and that it has also discussed with Japanese automakers.
“It is too early for investors to bet in anticipation of an Apple car manufacturing contract,” WSJ pointed out. Unlike smartphones, automobiles are devices that can influence life, and Apple’s autonomous driving technology is still in its infancy.
WSJ said the automakers were flexible in negotiating with Apple. Until recently, they were reluctant to collaborate with technology companies, let alone subcontracting, but their attitude has changed recently.
Automakers are also paying attention to the alphabet. Ford signed a partnership with Google last week to increase vehicle connectivity, including Android Auto and other Google software. To varying degrees, automakers in Asia and the United States are increasingly comfortable approaching sharing roads (with tech companies), WSJ explained.
Reporter Kim Hyun-seok [email protected]
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