Is Apple working on a car project? - By Lea
If Teslas are smartphones on wheels, what would an Apple car be? While you think about a clever remark, the Taiwanese newspaper Economic Daily News said Apple is rushing its suppliers to start producing parts for its electric vehicle with cutting-edge autonomous tech. Although this is still a rumor, it is a strong one, confirmed with several suppliers' sources.
The Taiwanese report informs that Heda, Bizlink-KY, Heqin, and Tomita were told to rush component production for that car, which would be slated to hit the market in September 2021. If you think about it, that seems like a good reason for Foxconn to have announced its will to produce an open-source electric car platform back in October. Ironically, Apple’s main supplier said it wanted to be "the Android of electric cars."
Even if the two events are not related, it is hard to say that both news being so close is just a coincidence. According to the Economic Daily News, Apple is testing its prototypes on California roads. What is weird is that no picture of such vehicles has emerged so far, which implies one of two things: either they are being tested in really remote areas, or they are so well disguised nobody could say they were something else.
This is not the first time the Economic Daily News anticipates production news. In November 2019, it also informed that the Tesla Model Y production in Shanghai would be anticipated in six months and that Liajia, BizLink-KY, and Heda were required to rush. BizLink supplies harnesses, cables, and wires, and we were not sure what Heda sources.
Although the original article published by Economic Daily News on the Model Y was erased, the Wayback Machine almost helped. The truth is that the text translation is not clear about when the Model Y production at Giga Shanghai was supposed to begin – and it has just started there. Regardless, it is clear the Taiwanese newspaper has strong sources inside these suppliers.
Unless Google Translate failed us, we can expect the Apple Car by September 2021 and the Rivian delivery van a little earlier, in August of next year. This time – and although the Wayback Machine is always around – we saved the Economic Daily News article. It's a precaution to make sure we can check whether it was right or wrong when the time comes. Foxconn gives us a hunch the Taiwanese newspaper will hit the nail on the head.