Rumor: Kia and Apple want to make 100,000 cars a year together

Kia and Apple want to make about 100,000 cars a year from about 2024, reports a South Korean newspaper. The factory would be located in the US state of Georgia. It is a car that comes under the name of Apple and not under the name of Kia.

Both companies would sign the contract in two weeks, DongA reports. Kia is a subsidiary of Hyundai. That company said last month it was already in talks with Apple about a collaboration, but then withdrew the statement.

Production in Georgia starts with 100,000 copies per year and can grow to 400,000 copies later. To make the facilities possible, Apple would invest around 4 trillion Korean won in the partnership. This amounts to approximately 2.9 billion euros.

Apple already confirmed a few years ago that it was working on software for autonomous cars. With the collaboration, the company would also like to make the hardware. According to previous rumors, it would be an electric, autonomous car. According to CNBC, the car is mainly aimed at applications such as meal and package delivery, things that would not require a driver in the long run. Apple and Kia have not commented on the rumor.