Apple is rumored to be planning to invest 4 trillion won ($3.6 billion) in Kia Motors as part of a planned partnership between the two companies, according to Korean website DongA Ilbo.
Apple and Kia (a subsidiary of Hyundai) are said to be forming a manufacturing relationship that will lead to Kia building Apple Cars at its US facility located in Georgia.
Apple could sign a deal with Kia as soon as February 17, aiming to launch Apple Cars in 2024, although that launch timeline is shorter than some previous launch. Apple and Kia are aiming to produce 100,000 vehicles per year when they begin the partnership.
There have been several reports in the past that Apple will partner with Hyundai, and previous reports indicated that Hyundai's Kia brand would handle the manufacturing part. Earlier in January, Korea IT News also said that Apple's electric vehicles will likely be built at Kia's Georgia factory.
When rumors of talks between Hyundai and Apple first surfaced, Hyundai confirmed that it was in talks with Apple, but later revised its statement.
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said today that Apple plans to partner with Hyundai and will use Hyundai's E-GMP electric vehicle platform for the vehicle 's first chassis , in addition to using Kia's factory for production in the U.S. Kuo believes an Apple car will come in 2025 "at the earliest," but Apple needs to stick to its own timeline if it wants to meet that deadline .
Source of information: macrumors.com
