German newspaper: Apple wants to offer its car via a carsharing service

Apple wants to market its car, which is currently under development, in Germany via a carsharing service, claims a German newspaper. Users could then rent the vehicle for a short period of time. The service should be available in 2019 or 2020.

The reason for this decision is that the Cupertino company does not yet have a sales and maintenance network in Germany, the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine reported on the basis of sources. It is unclear whether this strategy applies only to Germany or also to the introduction in other countries. The newspaper also reports that the car will not be marketed as self-driving, not even partially. This functionality would be added later.

The development of the car takes place in Berlin, among other places, at a secret location. There, a team of fifteen to twenty young former employees from the German car industry would work on issues such as the search for a possible German cooperation partner for Apple, the necessary permits, and the question of how far competitors are with the development of electric and self-driving cars. .

The construction of the Apple car would take place in Austria. Due to the loss of production of the Mini, the company Magna would have sufficient capacity to start the production of one hundred thousand cars per year. However, a company spokesperson was not available, the newspaper reported. The rumors surrounding the vacant factory have been going on for some time, as have rumors that Apple is working on the car project under the name ‘Titan’. The emphasis would be on self-driving cars.