Rumor: Apple is in talks to take over automaker McLaren – update

Apple is said to be in talks with automaker McLaren to take over the company. The value of McLaren would be between 1.2 and 1.75 billion euros, reports the business newspaper Financial Times. The deal has not yet been finalized, the newspaper said.

It would have been Apple that approached McLaren, writes the Financial Times. With an acquisition, Apple would like to bring in expertise for building cars. It has been rumored for some time that Apple is working on a self-driving car. The most concrete indication of this is an investment made earlier this year in Didi Chuxing. Apple has invested $1 billion in its Chinese Uber competitor.

The talks are said to have started a few months ago. Apple would like to accelerate the development of its car with the acquisition. McLaren makes cars and also runs its own team in Formula 1. The takeover would involve the entire company. The automaker is currently a loss-making business. Both companies have not commented on the rumor.

Update, 19:11: After McLaren had previously declined to comment, the automaker has denied to Reuters news agency that it is in talks with Apple.