BMW’s Chief Financial Officer Nicholas Peter isn’t worried about Apple’s entry into the automotive industry. Or, if he is, he’s not willing to say as much.
“I sleep very peacefully,” Peter said when asked about the rumored Apple car. “Competition is a wonderful thing — it helps motivate the others. We’re in a very strong position and we want to remain in a leading position of the industry.”
Peter isn’t the first car exec to downplay concerns about Apple potentially entering the car market. Recently, Volkswagen chief exec Herbert Diess said, “The car industry is not a typical tech sector that you could take over at a single stroke. Apple will not manage that overnight.”
The Apple car story so far
Apple has been rumored to be working on an automotive project for several years now. However, it remains unclear what form this will take. Some suggest Apple is developing self-driving electric car software that could be used by another manufacturer. Others suggest Apple plans to build a car itself.
Recently, rumors have abounded that Apple will team with another automaker to build a self-driving electric vehicle. Reports earlier this year suggested that Apple and Hyundai could sign a deal by March, and start producing vehicles by 2024 in the United States. However, that deal supposedly fell through, with Apple also rumored to be talking with Nissan.
BMW vehicles already offer Apple’s CarPlay platform. The late Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs drove BMWs as his car of choice for many years. And, early on, Apple was supposedly interested in using BMWs as part of its car project. However, there have been no recent rumors that Apple could team up with BMW.
Most likely, BMW would have the same concerns other automakers supposedly had: a fear of becoming little more than a contract manufacturer for Apple.
Are you excited about a possible Apple car? What form do you think it will ultimately take? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Bloomberg
