Kia is reportedly looking for a production partner to build Apple’s electric vehicles in Georgia, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Apple was reportedly in talks with Hyundai, Kia’s parent company, about a partnership on the vehicles. Last week, drivers of Hyundai allegedly “worried” about the agreement.
Apple and Hyundai were reportedly close to an agreement this week, CNBC reported on Wednesday. But Bloomberg reported Friday that Apple and Hyundai have “interrupted” their discussions. It was not clear when they would start again, the report said.
Apple did not return a request for comment Saturday.
If Kia finds a local partner to build an Apple vehicle in Georgia, it is unclear how Hyundai would be involved in manufacturing the vehicles.
“We are not a company that makes cars for others. It’s not like working with Apple will always yield good results,” an unnamed driver of Hyundai told Reuters last week.
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Apple did not publicly admit that it was in talks with car manufacturers, but details were leaked to the press. According to Reuters, Hyundai and Apple have been talking about an agreement since at least 2018. And the company is in talks with other manufacturers for smaller parts, reports the Journal.
‘Project Titan’, as the car is known internally, has been making news for years. The company hired thousands to work on the project, before apparently scaling back the project and retiring in 2016. In recent years, Apple has stripped employees of rival electric car maker Tesla.
The company may have been working on an electric van. The vehicle project laid off or assigned about 200 workers in 2019. The vehicle project has led to an ever-growing list of patents, indicating some potential features.
South Korean media reported on January 10 that Hyundai and Apple were planning to sign an agreement by March 2021. They plan to make a “beta” version of an Apple electric vehicle in 2022 and then begin full-scale production in 2024, according to the report.