Apple Said to Favour Canada’s Magna to Build “iCar”; Daimler, BMW Talks End

According to German publication Handelsblatt, Daimler and BMW have shut down talks with Apple over the iPhone maker’s electric vehicle ambitions, say sources:

German carmakers Daimler and BMW have ended talks with Apple over a cooperation deal on an electric car.

Apple is reportedly seeking a manufacturing partner to help build its “iCar”, with the favoured choice said to be Canadian firm Magna, and its subsidiary Magna International Europe AG, based out of Vienna, Austria, claimed Frankfurter Allgemeine earlier this week.

Magna is one of Canada’s largest companies and supplies auto parts for big automakers such as Aston Martin, BMW, Daimler, Ford, GM, Honda and–even Tesla Motors.

Sources tell the German publication talks collapsed over who would be leading the project and how consumer data would be handled. Apple reportedly wants their “highly-networked” electric car to be build with iCloud, but German automakers have sought customer data privacy as one of their future tentpole strategies.

The report notes BMW talks ended last year, while discussions with Daimler shut down more recently. Apple is said to be looking for German technology and specialist for their automative project, with a continued search out of a secret Berlin office, staffed with 20 to 30 people.

Earlier this year, the Ottawa Business Journal reported Apple was said to be leasing a 22,000 square foot space in Kanata, rumoured to be devoted to the company’s vehicle R&D plans.

[via Tech Insider]