Build Apple Car in the UK, British Members of Parliament Urge

[Robert.Walter]

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.

If JPN negotiated a trade deal with the EU and the UK was still in the EU, then…

 

[Delta-NC]

Deleted.

 

[ducknalddon]

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.

That trade deal was moribund until Brexit happened. Honda had a container ship full of equipment on the way to refit the factory. They turned it around after the Brexit vote.

Of course they won't admit that, no manufacturer wants to annoy 52% of their customers.

 

[Robert.Walter]

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

British Leyland - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

BL hasn’t existed since, when? Mid-1990’s when BMW bought the shambolic mess, minus Jag which Ford saved in 1990.

Majority of what you cite here (aside from the not mentioned poor political leadership) hasn’t been true since the 1990’s and certainly not since the demise of Phoenix in the mid-2000’s.

 

[ducknalddon]

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.

A majority of those who backed the Conservative in 2015 voted to leave the EU (58%), as did more than 19 out of 20 UKIP supporters. Nearly two thirds of Labour and SNP voters (63% and 64%), seven in ten Liberal Democrats and three quarters of Greens, voted to remain.

From https://lordashcroftpolls.com/2019/03/a-reminder-of-how-britain-voted-in-the-eu-referendum-and-why/

The vote had to be respected but that didn't mean we had to go to the extreme we did. There were plenty of Brexiteers telling us a Norway deal was an option. That would have been entirely appropriate given how close the vote was.

 

[LV426]

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

British Leyland - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Well, that was forty or fifty years ago. Brexit is mad as a box of frogs, but UK car manufacturers now work to high standards. Most UK cars are built in Japanese-owned factories using Japanese methodologies.

 

[Attirex]

If Apple had a car made in UK, would we get something like the Triumph TR-7?

 

[page3]

If Apple had a car made in UK, would we get something like the Triumph TR-7?

The new TVR mob are looking for investment, apparently.

 

[testcard]

MPs looking for headlines and votes. Move along - nothing to see here.

 

[ani4ani]

A majority of those who backed the Conservative in 2015 voted to leave the EU (58%), as did more than 19 out of 20 UKIP supporters. Nearly two thirds of Labour and SNP voters (63% and 64%), seven in ten Liberal Democrats and three quarters of Greens, voted to remain.

From https://lordashcroftpolls.com/2019/03/a-reminder-of-how-britain-voted-in-the-eu-referendum-and-why/

The vote had to be respected but that didn't mean we had to go to the extreme we did. There were plenty of Brexiteers telling us a Norway deal was an option. That would have been entirely appropriate given how close the vote was.

I accept the figures from 2015, but in the last GE, the majority of labour voters explaining why they voted conservative was because of Brexit.

Having the vote, courted distaster, the result of the vote was a disaster and the final outcome is a disaster, in my opinion, but we are where we are and we now have to make the best of it. Ironically, the "remainers" in parliament led to this outcome. I suspect, a lot of those constantly voting against TM's "deal" wish they had the option of it now....and many more would still be in parliament as well.

 

[w5jck]

Politically, it would be insane for Apple to build in the UK. Think "US defence contractors" - distribute your contracts over powerful states, and these states then have a vested interest in keeping you afloat.
A factory in the US makes a ton of sense. So does a factory in Europe, especially given German automotive expertise.
A factory in the UK makes no sense. Politically, you gain just one medium sized country, vs one huge one (US) or 27 small-medium ones (EU). Technologically, Germany is leagues ahead. The UK car industry is an assembly plant for Japan, plus a couple of niche boutique brands (mostly foreign owned).

I would add that UK automobiles have been well built, but the companies were often mismanaged. Hence the reason why so many UK automobile companies are now German owned automobile companies. UK probably wants to recoup a lot of what they are losing through BREXIT, but I can’t see an advantage for Apple to build cars there, or in the EU. The EU has way too many restrictions.

 

[Quicksilver867]

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 bailed the moment Brexit was put on the table. Parliament is foolish if they think any new automotive investment will happen in the next decade.

 

[Williesleg]

This is all too much. I guess on one hand you have Tesla, a company actually engineering, building and delivering. On the other hand you have the rumor mill and swirl and hope of something that will never be. This isn't the Apple of the early 2000's, folks. This is the Apple of safe spaces, no risks, no rocking the boat, nothing new really.

 

[0924487]

I just hate it when governments say things like that. Companies will operate the most efficient way possible. If you want the companies to build things in your country, build an ecosystem first. Spend trillions and trillions on STEM education and have a culture of competition, excellence, integrity, and meritocracy. Then build a robust supply chain network. Then make sure it’s price competitive and tax competitive. Make sure it’s politically stable and with good social programs like universal healthcare.

Then, they will come.

 

[Robert.Walter]

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.

Folks used to say same about expanding beyond a tiny Mac business.

To continue to grow, Apple will do Car, Bank, Medical. It is inevitable. Headaches make the stock grant bonuses so much sweeter.

 

[nitramluap]

I don't think Apple will ever build a car - seriously, why would they?
- It's always reliant on external manufacturers (even Tesla doesn't make all their components)
- They're not going to make anything better than existing manufacturers
- It risks damaging their brand, rather than enhancing it.
- The future of personal transportation isn't the car, nor is it the self-driving car no matter how excited all the fanbois carry on about it. Even Tesla's system is a LONG way from true automation. That's a very American, and foolish, attitude.
(build better public transport, safer cycleways and build your neighbourhoods so you don't NEED a car for everything)

I think its' FAR more likely that Apple is looking at helping existing manufacturers with technology to improve safety... but even then, why would they want to be 'invisible'?

I think all these talks with manufacturers is about adding tech into cars that can be interfaced with Apple hardware (ie. electronic key integration, CarPlay (especially wireless)... and all sorts of future tech (FaceID, LiDAR, AI, Siri integration, etc).

I would bet my house that Apple will never make a whole Apple-branded car, and people need to stop smoking whatever they're smoking and get back to reality.

 

[danny842003]

That trade deal was moribund until Brexit happened. Honda had a container ship full of equipment on the way to refit the factory. They turned it around after the Brexit vote.

Of course they won't admit that, no manufacturer wants to annoy 52% of their customers.

and the plant in turkey that shut?

 

[Datalinks]

Those Imperialist arrogant fools. Let them build their own cars. They were sucking up to the Germans to build factories in the UK only to leave the EU as soon as they felt secure enough.

 

[danny842003]

If JPN negotiated a trade deal with the EU and the UK was still in the EU, then…

So you’re saying that this trade deal wouldn’t have happened if the UK was still in?
Germany, France, Italy, Spain Hungary and Slovakia (just from memory) have fairly substantial auto industries they would want to protect you would think, I’m not sure why the UK would be the deciding factor on this.

 

[ForkHandles]

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.

We have just initiated tariff barriers and non tariff barriers to all our exports to major markets. Expertise we may have but advantageous exports conditions we do not.

 

[koruki]

Come build it here, we can make 2 cars a day

 

[joiwomcow]

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).

F1 cars are marketing toys. They have no relevance to real cars people drive. The cars that actually matter, that pay the bills, are designed and engineered in the US, Japan, and Germany. They are built wherever tax handouts and workforce advantages are greatest.

 

[macduke]

Who builds cars in the UK? I thought Germany was where it's at.

 

[bollman]

BL hasn’t existed since, when? Mid-1990’s when BMW bought the shambolic mess, minus Jag which Ford saved in 1990.

Majority of what you cite here (aside from the not mentioned poor political leadership) hasn’t been true since the 1990’s and certainly not since the demise of Phoenix in the mid-2000’s.

BL hasn’t existed since, when? Mid-1990’s when BMW bought the shambolic mess, minus Jag which Ford saved in 1990.

Majority of what you cite here (aside from the not mentioned poor political leadership) hasn’t been true since the 1990’s and certainly not since the demise of Phoenix in the mid-2000’s.

Well, the last part of BL went bust in 2005 when Rover died.
Most of the cars produced in the UK today are small volume.
They point to the midlands where BL did their production, I assume they would want to reanimate the Birmingham factory to relieve unemployment.
I’m not entirely sure they can in any way compete with modern factories and workers with knowledge and skills in building modern cars.
I assume Apple would like to use a contract builder like Valmet in Nystad, Finland or Magna-Steyer in Graz, Austria which is used by other high-profile brands like BMW, Mercedes and Porsche.

 

[BuffaloTF]

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

I bet all 120 of those countries also have trade deals which would make exporting it a lot easier... nay, possible... too.......