UK politicians urge government to try for Apple Car production jobs

Ministers of Parliament in the United Kingdom are urging Apple to produce the rumored "Apple Car" in the country, to invigorate the jobs market hit by the pandemic.

A number of MPs are encouraging the country's government to take an interest in Apple's vehicular project. They are trying to convince the UK to ask Apple to use the country as one of its bases of manufacturing for the self-driving car.

While Apple has reportedly been in talks with major producers in Asia, it seems the UK could be part of the same conversation.

Bracknell Conservative MP James Sutherland told The Telegraph the idea was a "no brainer," and for Apple to "bring new car production to the UK, use the high-tech workforce that we already have, create new jobs and build electric cars."

The sentiments were echoed by Doncaster Conservative MP Nick Fletcher. "As the economy recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic this year, we should be engaging with new, innovative industries that help boost economic growth while helping the environment."

Dudley North Conservative MP Marco Longhi suggested the move could be a major boost for parts of the UK with a history in car production. "This would be a fantastic investment for the Midlands and the Black Country," said the minister. "This will mean jobs for people locally and it would buy an endorsement of UK PLC in a post-Brexit environment."

A Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy spokesperson declined to comment on the matter.

It is likely that Apple will spread out the manufacturing of the Apple Car, once it reaches that phase. It makes sense for Apple to use multiple assembly plants for the large-scale goods, with each covering vast markets.

The UK has previously attempted to secure new manufacturing jobs in the past, so reaching out to Apple isn't a stretch of the imagination. In 2019, it attempted to woo Tesla to construct a gigafactory, but lost out to Berlin.

57 Comments

darkpaw 212 comments · 15 Years

About 3 years ago

Literally, don't do it. Do not do it. The UK is a terrible place to do business. Brexit has destroyed the many to enrich the minuscule few. The Tory governments of the last ten years have ruined us. Build the Apple Car somewhere else. Please.

GeorgeBMac 11421 comments · 8 Years

darkpaw said:

Literally, don't do it. Do not do it. The UK is a terrible place to do business. Brexit has destroyed the many to enrich the minuscule few. The Tory governments of the last ten years have ruined us. Build the Apple Car somewhere else. Please.

Yeh, why would anybody want to do business with a go-it-alone rebel -- particularly one that's been on the decline for over half a century?

But, in addition, even its traditional auto makers have been taken over by foreign companies who wanted the brand name more than anything else.

So, why would an auto maker want to go there?

blastdoor 3594 comments · 15 Years

A design center, sure. But manufacturing seems a huge stretch.

darkpaw said:

Literally, don't do it. Do not do it. The UK is a terrible place to do business. Brexit has destroyed the many to enrich the minuscule few. The Tory governments of the last ten years have ruined us. Build the Apple Car somewhere else. Please.

Serious question — who is enriched by brexit?

My impression has been that it’s bad for everybody, that it’s a collective delusion among older, less educated English (certainly not Scottish) nationalists mourning the long lost empire.

ionicle 98 comments · 4 Years

Talking of deluded....

The UK is a fantastic place to do business, freed from the shakles and opression of the EU, we are free to do as we please, and with a trade deal with the EU the apple car could be built here and sold allover Europe.

For the record im a 26 year old uni masters degree holder who voted leave, its not just ‘deluded’ or older people.

im so glad we regained our freedom from the EU. We are now free from restrictions, free from opression, free from daft regulations, and free to do as we please without asking our ‘masters’ in Brussels to permit it.

but back to the point, built here would make it one of the best manufacturered cars in the world.