Apple Car Talks With Daimler and BMW Have Collapsed

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Posted April 21, 2016 at 5:22am by iClarified

Talks between Apple and automobile companies Daimler and BMW have collapsed after the companies failed to reach an agreement on who would lead the project and who would own the data, reports Handelsblatt.

Sources said the talks with both German carmakers collapsed over the key questions of who would lead the project and, above all, which company would have ownership of the data. Apple wants the car to be closely built into its own cloud software, while the German carmakers have made customer data protection a key element of their future strategy.

Talks with BMW are said to have collapsed last year while talks with Daimler collapsed more recently.

Currently, Magna is believed to be the favorite potential partner to lend Apple expertise in manufacturing an electric vehicle. That lines up with a recent report which revealed that Apple has a secret lab in Berlin to design and develop the rumored Apple Car and claimed that Apple will enlist Magna as a production partner.

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Apple Car Talks With Daimler and BMW Have Collapsed

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r7un - April 22, 2016 at 3:18am

So, even in an urban setting, like South Delhi, where I stay, electricity is somewhat erratic. If you go into the sub-urbs, and further into rural india, where you have maximum demand for these cars - like erstwhile greatest demand for Mercedes and BMW used to come from Ludhiana (the Manchester of India), now it comes from Kochi - the electricity supply is very erratic. On an average (and I mean it), a car is driven approximately 100 kilometers (62 miles) or more on a daily basis. Which means, there are people who drive 200 kilometers also, back and forth from work. Diesel is the most popular fuel - because of the longer range on cars, greater fuel economy. Heavier cars are preferred for highway use. So I sincerely doubt a simple electric car will be that successful. Delhi as well, is a very large city. Although, odd-even has been implemented, it is more of a political movement, than citizen convenience. The National Capital Region extends from Neemrana on one side in Rajasthan (in the west) to beyond Ghaziabad (in the east), and from Palwal (in the south) to Sonipat (in the North), with one length spanning as much as 100 kilometers or more. This is the expanse of the city, with urban traffic. It is scorching hot in summer, and when it rains, the European manufacturers advise owners not to drive their vehicles, because puddles get formed, and their advanced suspension systems fail. Toyota SUVs that run on diesel become a great success. It's only a multi-national company CEO who goes from a plush home to a plush office. The Indian company CEO - whether a small businessman or an organised industrialist, the owner of an expensive car, will travel a lot on a daily basis. Personal security is sometimes a concern, because a CEO who is driving around in an expensive European car, can be a soft target to anti-social elements. And anti-social elements are tech-smart. These CEOs do not want cars that can be hacked or tracked by miscreants. Although, initially, diesel used to be a subsidised fuel, the price difference has increasingly narrowed. Yet, most European makers sell larger numbers with diesel variants. Only in the urban environment, petrol remains the preferred choice. Basically, you need cars that are rugged on bad roads, capable of a long-haul journey, comfortable, do not to depend on electric sources for charging through the night.

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AverageReviewer - April 21, 2016 at 2:09pm

If they would combine Apple software (but not maps) with Samsung's displays and finally create mainstream transparent displays for the windshield along with Tesla it would be an amazing car so long as they don't put a goddamn apple logo anywhere on it xD apple logos are cool but not for cars!

paulMOGG - April 21, 2016 at 6:21am

Arjun I hear you ...I guess the apple & tesla is not for India any time soon then ... But a simple electric car would work ...right?

Arjun - April 21, 2016 at 5:33am

And Mercedes and BMW and other car brands have a view on automotive safety. Auto parking features are still far from perfect. Self drive, lane assist, brake assist, cruise control are not features we use in India. We just cannot use them even if we have them on our cars. And privacy and security for business persons is a matter of concern, who travel into unknown territory, organising industry, cracking deals. The convenience centric buyer fails to understand this.

Arjun - April 21, 2016 at 5:30am

It's true. While Apple and Google are only vying for data, and the self-driving cars customer is only looking at "convenience" that has so far only been partially successful under hugely simulated conditions, there is no empirical proof that self-driving cars are ever going to be reality. In India, we drive cars through hugely congested area in semi-urban populated cities, marketplaces. We have seen such places in Thailand and other developing countries as well. Every place is not California.