After Project Titan was canceled and the dream of an Apple Car buried, it seems Cupertino hasn’t given up on a decade of expertise trying to create an autonomous vehicle.
According to the latest report by DigiTimes, Apple is investigating a partnership with a US electric vehicle firm, which could be Rivian. Although the story offers little details on this possible partnership, Rivian is no weird for Apple.
Personally, I like to remember their early day partnership with Apple TV Plus original Long Way Up docuseries, where Rivian built its first two motorcycle EVs for the show. The company also landed the first prototypes of its car as well.
That said, it’s important to note that Rivian doesn’t allow CarPlay support. And, like Tesla, it focuses on a built-in software solution to offer infotainment to customers. While it’s enticing to think about Apple buying a major automaker, the two companies could find common ground where Cupertino has lots of R&D – and cash – available, and Rivian already has the expertise of building solid EVs but is still struggling to grow its business and manufacturer its upcoming vehicles.
Over the past few years, Apple has reached out to other carmakers, such as Hyundai and Kia, but none of those talks led to nowhere. Since DigiTimes report is based on the supply chain, it’s also unclear what Apple and Rivian could agree to.
DigiTimes ‘ story is only speculation until more sources start reporting on the two companies working together. Since we’re still not over the fact that Apple canceled its car project, we are still hoping the company might end up partnering with someone to create something close to what an Apple vehicle could look like and offer the best experience yet.
In the meantime, we still have to see the new CarPlay experience available on high-end cars. This is said to be coming later this year, and BGR will report back once we learn more about it.
