Apple is rumored to be in Asia visiting Toyota as it prepares to lay the supplier groundwork to mass produce a branded car by 2024, according to a new report by DigiTimes.
Apple representatives were said to have met with South Korea's SK Group and LG Electronics last month to discuss Apple Car development, and now Japan's Toyota is being touted as its next potential destination.
Apple has been working on a car-related project since at least 2014, and at one stage it looked as if the company was scaling back to focus on autonomous vehicle software. However, following several changes in management and hiring, Apple is now believed to be focused on building a car for consumers.
But to do that, the company needs to tap into a whole new supply chain. Apple is expected to rely on a manufacturing partner to build the vehicles, and though it wants to make EV batteries in the United States, it may be seeking partnerships with established vehicle makers like Toyota to do so.
Reuters has previously reported that Apple is developing a new battery design that has the potential to "radically" reduce the cost of batteries and increase the vehicle's range.
One person who spoke to Reuters described Apple's "monocle" battery technology as "next level" and said that it's similar to "the first time you saw the iPhone."
Reuters' reporting claimed that Apple is aiming to begin production on an Apple-branded self-driving vehicle starting in 2024, so DigiTimes' focus on that date isn't necessarily a shot in the dark. However, delays caused by the ongoing global health crisis or current chip shortage could always push production to 2025 or beyond.
