TOKYO: Nissan Motor Co Ltd said on Monday it is not in talks with Apple Inc, following a report that the iPhone maker approached the Japanese company in recent months about a tie-up for its autonomous car project.
The Financial Times said the companies had had brief discussions that faltered over Nissan’s reluctance to become an assembler for Apple-branded cars, adding that the talks had not advanced to senior management level.
“We are not in talks with Apple,” a Nissan spokeswoman said. “However, Nissan is always open to exploring collaborations and partnerships to accelerate industry transformation.”
The spokeswoman declined to comment further. Representatives for Apple were not immediately available for comment.
Shares in Nissan were sharply lower in early Monday afternoon trade, down 3.7% compared to a 1.4% rise for the Nikkei 225 benchmark.
Early stage talks between Apple and Hyundai Motor Group over autonomous electric cars also recently collapsed on concerns within the South Korean automaker about becoming a mere contract manufacturer.
Reuters reported in December that Apple was moving forward with autonomous car technology and aimed to produce a passenger vehicle that could include its own breakthrough battery technology as early as 2024.
Outsourcing production of some models through original equipment manufacturing (OEM) deals is common in the auto industry, but the industry does not have a major contract manufacturer in the way that Taiwan’s Foxconn serves the consumer electronics industry.
This year, however, China’s Geely has announced a flurry of tie-ups including one with Foxconn and another with Chinese internet giant Baidu Inc as it seeks to position itself as the go-to contract manufacturer for electric cars in China.
From Flying Cars To E-Vehicles, Super Tech That Dominated CES 2021
Future Of Driving
The Consumer Electronics Show (CES), an annual tech affair, kicked off 2021 with an astonishing line-up of ingenious updates. We weren’t prepared for what the show had in store for us as the event went online this year due the pandemic. Usually a glitzy spectacle held in Las Vegas, the all- virtual -expo left no stone unturned as it came zapping with everything from flying cars to smart masks to innovative home care systems.
With the electric vehicles and flying cars launched at CES, it’s safe to say that the future of driving looks brighter than ever.
GM VTOL
Sure, today flying in a car seems like a dream but the future is full of possibilities, and with what General Motors presented at CES, it’s fair to say, you may soon be able to take off in a car. The auto giant introduced the future of transportation with its flying Cadillac – a self-driving vehicle which carries the passenger above land and through the thin air. The single-person car, a VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) drone, can speed up to 55 miles per hour.
The ultra-lightweight flying Cardillac is paired with four rotors, and comes with a 90kWmtoro and a GM Ultium battery pack. It’s all-electric and fully autonomous.
Mercedes Hyperscreen
German luxury automotive giant, Mercedes Benz made an impact with its MBUX hyperscreen – a 56-inch sleek screen unit comprising three smooth displays merged together. With an aesthetically pleasing design and easy device controls, Benz upped the game with its hyperscreen. It’s by far the most intelligent human-machine interface built by the German carmaker.
The hyperscreen not only adjusts easily to the user but is also interactive through its infotainment suggestions. Its display is powered by 8 CPU cores, 24-gigabyte RAM and 46.5 GB per second RAM memory bandwidth. The multifunctional camera and sensor adapt to the display brightness as per the lighting conditions.
BMW iDrive
German luxury vehicles giant, BMW gave us a glimpse of its next-generation iDrive infotainment system, all set to launch on the new iX electric SUV debuting late 2021. iDrive, which was launched in 2001, appearing for the first time in the E65 7 Series, has kept its control dial that rotates and can be tapped, pushed and pressed.
For the iX, the current model comes with touch-sensitive icons with a single large panel bosting two displays for maps, media, driver information among other things.
Mobileye
Intel-owned Mobileye announced updates for use in autonomous vehicles. The company said that by 2025, it wants to move towards using its radar-based technology and single lidar sensor per vehicle in a bid to lower autonomous driving expenses. It plans to tap sensors from Luminar Technologies Inc for a planned fleet of so-called robotaxis, which are commercial vehicles meant to carry passengers. Starting 2022, the robotaxis, combined with four Luminar units each, will roll out in at least eight different cities, Mobileye CEO Amnon Shashua informed during a Q&A session at CES 2021.
The consumer system 2025 will have a single lidar unit with the entire vehicle covered with cameras and a new radar-based system which is being developed by the company.
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