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Robert.Walter

macrumors 68040
Jul 10, 2012
3,117
4,446
After seeing how Apple quickly abandoned talks with Hyundai over leaking their conversations, I think that’s a good idea.

That being said, it sounds like if they really are on their hands and knees begging Apple to do this, I’m sure Apple could use it to their advantage, brokering deals. I’m honestly fine with it as long as the car comes to America as well. (You know, where the company is actually based).

Would Europe scoring the manufacturing of the Apple Car help in negotiations with the antitrust lawsuits the EU government is currently slapping Apple with? Lessen their chokehold in squeezing dimes and nickels out of Apple? Doubt it.
I imagine the car will initially be built in the USA for a number of reasons:
1) Apple always launches new product/services in the USA first;
2) domestic US car production is high visibility and will tend to quell critics demanding Apple produce more product in the US;
3) It’s unheard of for a car manufacturer to launch its first production in a country or even region that is not its home (to do so adds a lot of risk, complexity and cost to launch support and ongoing operations.);
4) UK as a manufacturing base for US-bound vehicles isn’t a very smart idea as adds unnecessary transport cost;
5) the lack of a finished trade deals with the US and most of the world adds unacceptable uncertainty.
6) currency would also be a big risk.
7) what have I missed?

That ship sailed straight to the bottom after feckless conservative pols manipulated their way to and into a destructive but important populist feel-good Brexit process.
 

ani4ani

Cancelled
May 4, 2012
1,703
1,537
I imagine the car will initially be built in the USA for a number of reasons:
1) Apple always launches new product/services in the USA first;
2) domestic US car production is high visibility and will tend to quell critics demanding Apple produce more product in the US;
3) It’s unheard of for a car manufacturer to launch its first production in a country or even region that is not its home (to do so adds a lot of risk, complexity and cost to launch support and ongoing operations.);
4) UK as a manufacturing base for US-bound vehicles isn’t a very smart idea as adds unnecessary transport cost;
5) the lack of a finished trade deals with the US and most of the world adds unacceptable uncertainty.
6) currency would also be a big risk.
7) what have I missed?

That ship sailed straight to the bottom after feckless conservative pols manipulated their way to and into a destructive but important populist feel-good Brexit process.
Seems to me you find democracy a difficult concept; I also voted remain [I presume you did also] and think this was the worse thing the UK voted for, but the vote has to be respected. As for the "feckless" conservatives, Labour supporters voted for Brexit by a bigger majority than conservatives. The "North" voted for Brexit rather than the south.

Apple will build "their" car, where the rules are more liberal, regulations the weakest, the labour the most flexible [and cheap] and where they can earn the most incentives for doing so...and where the least amount of tax is to be paid.
 

Robert.Walter

macrumors 68040
Jul 10, 2012
3,117
4,446
The best car engineers are positioned in the UK , It may surprise you but the Merceds F1 team is stated in the UK , the engine is being manufactured and designed in the UK , most of the teams reside in the UK (putting Ferrari aside).

So , no , Germany are not leagues ahead , they have very good efficient factories due to the German culture of producing things , but in regards to tech and engineering talent ? not even close , the UK have special masters programs for car engineering , the best programs in the world.
You don’t seem to recognize that the economics, business model, and nearly everything else related to building a profitable mass-produced road going car is different from that of near one-off race cars?

UK has carved out a nice cottage industry for building high dollar racing machines but even that is by no means exclusive, and while UK has plenty of good automotive engineers (friends of mine among them), they aren’t unique in that regard by any stretch.

Small case in point: JLR is producing some new vehicles outside the UK in eastern EU.

Speculation in point: Aston and JLR seem to be struggling more than their competition at the moment. Sure, some of this is due to scale effects and limited market segments they operate in, but definitely some of their financial woes are due to high structural costs that are exposed when sales volume dips.
 
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bollman

macrumors 6502a
Sep 25, 2001
685
1,459
Lund, Sweden
Well, for sure, British mass produced cars have a long and glorious history... of fails.
The entire 70s and 80s was the worst ever with cars barely holding up through the factory doors.
What British car manufacturing is mostly know for is:
* Inferior quality
* Labor disputes running years on end
* Unbelievable mismanagement (government owned or otherwise)

Case in point: British Leyland
 

MadCar

macrumors regular
Oct 21, 2014
217
250
The internet
Building it in the UK isn't a terrible idea if its going to be a high end car which it might be.

McLaren, Aston Martin, BMW (Mini) and pretty much all F1 teams are based here plus lots of other part suppliers for the likes of Toyota, Nissan and more.

But I can't see them going it alone they are likely to try and team up with another manufacturer putting the tech in their car. Or maybe they will go with a licensing model so people can take the tech for certain models maybe.

I can see the UK going big on a battery gig factory as being highly likely to help fund other industries but time will tell on that.
 

nothingtoseehere

macrumors 6502
Jun 3, 2020
453
521
The best car engineers are positioned in the UK , It may surprise you but the Merceds F1 team is stated in the UK , the engine is being manufactured and designed in the UK , most of the teams reside in the UK (putting Ferrari aside).

So , no , Germany are not leagues ahead , they have very good efficient factories due to the German culture of producing things , but in regards to tech and engineering talent ? not even close , the UK have special masters programs for car engineering , the best programs in the world.
As a German citizen, I would say that we have a great automotive industry, but UK also :)
UK has also relevant car plants (no British Leyland anymore but that is not the main point), Germany has also very good car engineering programs :)
There is one thing UK has and we have not: The inimitable former Top Gear-, now Grand Tour-Team :) :) :)
 

Romeo_Nightfall

macrumors 65816
Aug 8, 2018
1,004
881
Vienna
This is a strange pitch … "Come build your cars here. It would be awesome for us."

It's sounds a bit like the "Give us a better Brexit deal. Our population has clearly voted." logic.


When making a deal the other side doesn't care how much you want it. If anything it weakens your negatiating position.
Yeah - thanks for your inhuman antique view of society.

New world view - come we invite you - it will be good for us - hence we will be nice to you and support YOU!
 

Robert.Walter

macrumors 68040
Jul 10, 2012
3,117
4,446
Seems to me you find democracy a difficult concept; I also voted remain [I presume you did also] and think this was the worse thing the UK voted for, but the vote has to be respected. As for the "feckless" conservatives, Labour supporters voted for Brexit by a bigger majority than conservatives. The "North" voted for Brexit rather than the south.

Apple will build "their" car, where the rules are more liberal, regulations the weakest, the labour the most flexible [and cheap] and where they can earn the most incentives for doing so...and where the least amount of tax is to be paid.
Brexit was a narrowly-passed non-binding referendum sold on lies that even as more of them were exposed, successive Tory governments broke their humps to deliver.

If leaders, they could have explained it to the nation that facts had been misrepresented and assumptions changed and to continue would have long standing consequences not in the people’s interests, and then put it to another vote. But besides not being very good at their jobs, there must have been some combination of party motivation, corrupt or stupid group think tunnel vision, or fear or opportunistic survival drive, leading them not to have done so.
 
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Romeo_Nightfall

macrumors 65816
Aug 8, 2018
1,004
881
Vienna
It
You don’t seem to recognize that the economics, business model, and nearly everything else related to building a profitable mass-produced road going car is different from that of near one-off race cars?

UK has carved out a nice cottage industry for building high dollar racing machines but even that is by no means exclusive, and while UK has plenty of good automotive engineers (friends of mine among them), they aren’t unique in that regard by any stretch.

Small case in point: JLR is producing some new vehicles outside the UK in eastern EU.

Speculation in point: Aston and JLR seem to be struggling more than their competition at the moment. Sure, some of this is due to scale effects and limited market segments they operate in, but definitely some of their financial woes are due to high structural costs that are exposed when sales volume dips.
it seems hard for you to admit being wrong - fits a car guy ... haha
Uk has everything apple would need building a car - ofCourse it makes more sense doing it in usa - firstly.
 
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npmacuser5

macrumors 68000
Apr 10, 2015
1,780
2,013
One could assume an all-electric vehicle, placing the steering wheel, etc can be be easily done on either side.
 

Robert.Walter

macrumors 68040
Jul 10, 2012
3,117
4,446
I agree in part, on the other things, but don’t place too much emphasis on incentives.

Unlike Amazon whipsawing states with their incentive game, this has particularly not been apples practice.

I can’t recall specifically, but I think it was with regards to a data center, that Apple stated that incentives hadn’t played a part in their location decision.
 

Romeo_Nightfall

macrumors 65816
Aug 8, 2018
1,004
881
Vienna
Brexit was a narrowly-passed non-binding referendum sold on lies that even as more of them were exposed, successive Tory governments broke their humps to deliver.

If leaders, they could have explained it to the nation that facts had been misrepresented and assumptions changed and to continue would have long standing consequences not in the people’s interests, and then put it to another vote. But besides not being very good at their jobs, there must have been some combination of party motivation, corrupt or stupid group think tunnel vision, or fear or opportunistic survival drive, leading them not to have done so.
That’s just like, your opinion, man

The opposite is true - watch the eu crumble during the pandemic.

UK was always a valuable eu member and has been abused long enough by the eu.

Whole rise of Poland is built on UK openness and friendliness.

I don’t even wanna argue with you - seems you are very narrow minded - and vicious
 

-BigMac-

macrumors demi-god
Apr 15, 2011
2,478
2,805
Melbourne, Australia
I imagine the car will initially be built in the USA for a number of reasons:
4) UK as a manufacturing base for US-bound vehicles isn’t a very smart idea as adds unnecessary transport cost;
You know theres about 120 countries closer to UK than to the US..

I really dont think Apple Car would be a US only product lol
 

Robert.Walter

macrumors 68040
Jul 10, 2012
3,117
4,446
That’s just like, your opinion, man

The opposite is true - watch the eu crumble during the pandemic.

UK was always a valuable eu member and has been abused long enough by the eu.

Whole rise of Poland is built on UK openness and friendliness.

I don’t even wanna argue with you - seems you are very narrow minded - and vicious
Thanks for not arguing with me.

Facts are vicious but less so than unsupported assertions.

edit: I do give you credit for quoting The Dude though.
 
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gavroche

macrumors 65816
Oct 25, 2007
1,456
1,575
Left Coast
Apple Car for me is one of those I’ll believe it when I see it things. I just can’t imagine Apple building a full car, seems like such a major headache.
I would have had more confidence before... prior to seeing how much trouble they have even making wireless charging pads or air tags...
 
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danny842003

macrumors 68000
Jun 6, 2017
1,902
2,186
If James Sunderland wanted a British car industry perhaps he should have thought twice before voting for Brexit.

Brexit has been a disaster for the British car industry, investment has plummeted and we are about to lose the Honda plant. No doubt more will follow.
Honda wasn’t due to Brexit though was it? Japan negotiated a free trade deal with the EU and the plant would have shut regardless. It was surplus’s to requirements with that deal.
 
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Robert.Walter

macrumors 68040
Jul 10, 2012
3,117
4,446
You know theres about 120 countries closer to UK than to the US..

I really dont think Apple Car would be a US only product lol
120 countries, the majority of which will not see an Apple Car on offer for a long long time.

I never said US only. That was your overlay on a statement that clearly speaking of initial launch.

Look at how long it has taken for some countries to approve the ECG feature on the Apple Watch (Australia just now after 2-1/2 years after a group of other countries at the end of 2020); automotive homologation isn’t different from that.

Given the complexities of marketing and servicing a vehicle post-sale, I don’t see the Apple car selling outside the USA at launch and outside a growing handful of wealthy countries for its first generation.

If Apple’s sales goal were mor ambitious, they would need more than underutilized (or expanded) capacity at a single Hyundai plant to do so. Apple’s rumored +3G$ investment would be enough to fund a new plant or two but I imagine the biggest part of that will be to fund engineering, development and testing, and an equity contribution into the Hyundai’s proprietary BEV platform. (Similar for any IEM that they might eventually hook up with.)
 
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