Roger Fingas
BMW's research and development head said on Wednesday that there are obstacles to collaborating with Apple beyond integrating iPhone support into vehicles, but did not completely rule out the possibility of the two companies building a car together.
BMW's Klaus Froehlich said in an interview with Reuters that BMW will not contemplate any deal that would force it to share core knowledge. But when he was asked whether his company might develop a car with Apple, the executive dodged the question.
"I will remain hypothetical on the topic," he said. "When it comes to the topic of technology, BMW tends to focus on its own strengths."
Froehlich did say that Apple and BMW have traits in common, such as a focus on "premium" branding, constant evolution, and trying to make products aesthetically attractive.
The German automaker is an official partner for CarPlay, Apple's iOS-based dashboard interface, and is also preparing to support the Apple Watch. Recently, rumors have claimed that the two companies might be developing a car together, but if so BMW has denied that recent talks were related to the effort.
A growing number of reports have indicated that Apple is developing en electric car, possibly with the goal of a 2020 launch date. AppleInsider recently uncovered what could be the development site for the project, located just minutes away from Apple's Cupertino headquarters. That facility has an assortment of auto-related renovations, and is believed to be operated by Apple under the guise of a shell company called SixtyEight Research.
Charles Martin
Malcolm Owen
Andrew O'Hara
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33 Comments
When this guy says something weasel-y like there are "obstacles beyond providing iPhone support..." it says to me BMW is hedging even on CarPlay.
What a shame. My next car will most certainly not be a BMW.
So.
I'm taking all that with a grain of salt. It's such a touchy subject, and every word will be dissected and examined by the entire world so obviously, he's trying to avoid a very sensitive subject.
I'm not sure why people harp about their electric car. I saw it back in January 2014 at BMW Welt in Munich and I thought is was a really cool car and the materials going into it to keep the weight down was impressive. I wouldn't mind having one.
I imagine it would be problematic for Apple to get a CarPlay buy-in from auto makers if they suspected Apple would be in direct competition down the road.
I'm taking all that with a grain of salt. It's such a touchy subject, and every word will be dissected and examined by the entire world so obviously, he's trying to avoid a very sensitive subject.
Yeah, I wouldn't read too much into it. Clearly, he is trying to be as nebulous as possible.
Also, Freohlich is a native German speaker. When one is speaking a foreign language, sometimes word choice is not a precise as as would be from a well-spoken native speaker. I have certainly had my share of bungled communication attempts trying to speak other languages.
Heck, sometimes I pick the wrong words in English, my native tongue!