New Report Says Apple Was in Talks to Use BMW i3 as Basis for Electric Car ProjectApple and BMW were in negotiations to use the German car manufacturer's car platform for its electric i3 for Apple's rumored car project, code-named "Project Titan", according to a
new report from German business magazine
Manager Magazin [
Google Translate].
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-458601" src="
" alt="bmwi3" width="800" height="448" />
The Cupertino company was interested in the body of the i3, which is a small hatchback that has a shell made out of carbon fiber, helping keep the car light. The two companies began talks in autumn 2014, but broke off talks before committing to check in with each other and their plans periodically. The report also states that Tim Cook and Apple senior managers made a trip to BMW's factory in Leipzig, Germany to take a look at the production of the i3.
This isn't the first time BMW and Apple have been linked to be working on a car. In March, a report from German automotive magazine
Auto Motor und Sport claimed the two were in close negotiations to turn the i3 into an "Apple Car". However, BMW
denied the claim to
Reuters hours after the report surfaced.
Earlier this week, Apple
hired Doug Betts, former Senior Vice President of the Chrysler Group and the global head of operations leading product service and quality, continuing the company's hiring of automotive experts. Additionally, Apple hired Paul Furgale, a researcher with a specialization in autonomous vehicles.
While details on Apple's car project have been scarce, there have been reports of Apple
recruiting talent from the automotive industry, including poaching employees from Tesla, Ford and GM, and that the company has
hundreds of employees working on its car project. Rumors suggest Apple is aiming to produce a car
by 2020, but because Apple often works on projects that never see the light of day, it's possible the company could delay or shelve the project if it's not happy with its progress.
Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories •
YouTube App Updated With Fullscreen Playback for Vertical Videos •
App Store Promotion Offers 100 Apps and Games at a Discount •
A Look at Third-Party Bands for Apple Watch •
10 Things the Digital Crown and Side Button Do on Apple Watch •
Bandai Namco Launches 'Pac-Man Championship Edition DX' on iOS •
Best Buy Launches Black Friday in July Sale, Discounts iPad Air 2 by $125 •
'Nourish' System Provides Supplements Based on Fitness Tracker & App Data •
Apple Pay Adds 35 New Participating Issuers in United States<br clear='all'/>
<a href="
http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234566062452/u/49/f/648327/c/35070/s/486ba733/sc/28/rc/1/rc.htm" rel="nofollow"><img src="
http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234566062452/u/49/f/648327/c/35070/s/486ba733/sc/28/rc/1/rc.img" border="0"/>[/url]
<a href="
http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234566062452/u/49/f/648327/c/35070/s/486ba733/sc/28/rc/2/rc.htm" rel="nofollow"><img src="
http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234566062452/u/49/f/648327/c/35070/s/486ba733/sc/28/rc/2/rc.img" border="0"/>[/url]
<a href="
http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234566062452/u/49/f/648327/c/35070/s/486ba733/sc/28/rc/3/rc.htm" rel="nofollow"><img src="
http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234566062452/u/49/f/648327/c/35070/s/486ba733/sc/28/rc/3/rc.img" border="0"/>[/url]
<img src="[url]http://da.feedsportal.com/r/234566062452/u/49/f/648327/c/35070/s/486ba733/sc/28/a2.img" border="0"/>[/url]
<img src="[url]http://adchoice.feedsportal.com/r/234566062452/u/49/f/648327/c/35070/s/486ba733/sc/28/ach.img" border="0"/>[/url]<img width="1" height="1" src="
http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/234566062452/u/49/f/648327/c/35070/s/486ba733/sc/28/a2t.img" border="0"/><img width="1" height="1" src="
http://pi2.feedsportal.com/r/234566062452/u/49/f/648327/c/35070/s/486ba733/sc/28/a2t2.img" border="0"/><img width='1' height='1' src='
' border='0'/><div class="feedflare">
<img src="[url]http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MacRumors-Front?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img>[/url]
<img src="[url]http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MacRumors-Front?d=6W8y8wAjSf4" border="0"></img>[/url]
<img src="[url]http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MacRumors-Front?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img>[/url]
</div><img src="
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MacRumors-Front/~4/GnQ-maynteM" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>
Source:
New Report Says Apple Was in Talks to Use BMW i3 as Basis for Electric Car Project
