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Apple and Volkswagen working on iCar?
Wednesday, August 29, 2007 - 12:09 PM EDT

Allegedly the German automaker Volkswagen and American computer company Apple Inc. are working on a common project: "iCar," the German-language magazine Capital reports.

Experts say a car with Apple products would garner much interest, especially among younger buyers, Sueddeutsche.de reports.

A Volkswagen spokesperson confirmed that VW chief Martin Winterkorn met a few days ago with Apple Boss Steve job in California for discussions relating to the project. The discussions are said to be in the early stages.

According to the report, there are to be models for Western Europe along with sales in the growing markets of China, India and Russia. In developing countries this "iCar" will be offered for 6500 euro, Sueddeutsche.de reports.

Full article (German to English via Google Translation) here.

Capital's article (German to English via Google Translation) is here.

MacDailyNews Take: Best guess, peering through cloudy, ham-handed translation: iPod/iPhone vehicle integration of some sort.

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Aug 29, 07 - 12:14 pm Comment from: Grigori

Yikes - first AT&T;, now Volkswagen? I'll believe it when I see it.

Aug 29, 07 - 12:15 pm Comment from: sleeve

so it begins... and here I am still wondering how the frak i'm suppose to find the cash for an iPhone!

Aug 29, 07 - 12:17 pm Comment from: Constant Refresher

jobswagen

Aug 29, 07 - 12:18 pm Comment from: No Squirt For You

I hope they don't weld down the battery.

Aug 29, 07 - 12:24 pm Comment from: AL

Apple doing something low end????

6500 Euros???

Must be an add on and not just for the car.

Aug 29, 07 - 12:26 pm Comment from: simple

OMG! Glossy Windows!

Aug 29, 07 - 12:26 pm Comment from: NeverFade

I call bullshit.

but that's just the gut reaction...

Aug 29, 07 - 12:30 pm Comment from: ChrissyOne

At least it will only have one button.

MW: 'plans'

Aug 29, 07 - 12:34 pm Comment from: Fred Mertz

Volkspod

Podwagen

Aug 29, 07 - 12:35 pm Comment from: ChrissyOne

@ AL

There was a lot of talk when the Phaeton came out that Volkswagen might be moving out of the reach of most 'volks'. I think an inexpensive car would be great if it could be done well, and VW could certainly do it if anyone could. The price of the entertainments system would be only a small part of that, and if Apple was involved, I'm sure it would take center stage on the feature list.
I'm sure it wouldn't sell in the US, where we clearly need a 460 ci V8 and 18 inches of ground clearance to make it to the grocery store.

-c

Aug 29, 07 - 12:35 pm Comment from: Thorin

VW should scrap this and focus on bringing the TDI back to the US across the product line.

Aug 29, 07 - 12:35 pm Comment from: NickBob

If anyone can bring back the electric car, it would be ( and ought to be) Apple.

Aug 29, 07 - 12:36 pm Comment from: ChrissyOne\'s Jilted Ex

\"At least it will only have one button.\"

One button that matters. Just like most women.

Aug 29, 07 - 12:37 pm Comment from: ChrissyOne

@ ChrissyOne\'s Jilted Ex

And you couldn't find it with a search party.

Aug 29, 07 - 12:37 pm Comment from: Shoeman

It only will run on Apple Branded Gasoline. Cost? $11.00 a gallon but it's not "junky" gas. It's better quality gas than the rest of the industry offers. Also required is a 3 year contract for oil changes every 3000 miles using Apple Branded Oil (only $20 a quart).

Aug 29, 07 - 12:42 pm Comment from: ChrissyOne

@ Shoeman

Still a lot cheaper than brakes for a Subaru.

Aug 29, 07 - 12:43 pm Comment from: Thorin

@C1,

You are in top form today. Don't stop.

Search party, BWAHAHA! snake

Aug 29, 07 - 12:46 pm Comment from: @C1

Would Spotlight find it? wink

Aug 29, 07 - 12:50 pm Comment from: Gumby_Mac

MacDailyNews Take: Best guess, peering through cloudy, ham-handed translation: iPod/iPhone vehicle integration of some sort.

Um, yeah... like all those poor developing countries have millions of folks sitting around with their iPhone and iPod in-hand and just need a car to integrate them with. <rolls eyes>

Aug 29, 07 - 12:51 pm Comment from: ChrissyOne

@ @C1

My Mag-lite found it once.

Aug 29, 07 - 12:53 pm Comment from: Peter's Son

I found it.

Once.

Aug 29, 07 - 12:55 pm Comment from: bluefine

Cool.
Can't wait to see how "multi-touch" works on the windshield.

Or maybe it's got some cool scrollwheel?

Aug 29, 07 - 12:57 pm Comment from: Someone Else

Considering some American car companies are looking into using Windoze for their onboard computers, isn't it time, long past due, that a car should run OSX?

Aug 29, 07 - 12:59 pm Comment from: mugwump

apple: Robotics and Superconductivity, look into it. Gates already mentioned it during the All Things "D" love-in, how MS is starting into robotics.

Aug 29, 07 - 01:00 pm Comment from: Mike Napolitano

Hasn't there been rumors of Apple developing a high end Navigational touch-screen system for mercedes or something like that? Imagine the interface apple could create for complete nav/entertainment system. The Nav in my 06 Passat is powerful, but is WAY to hard to use. Huge possibilities for ease of use improvements in that neck of the woods... Go Apple!

Aug 29, 07 - 01:03 pm Comment from: Macaday

I once asked Jonathan Ive how he ever chose a car... the design flaws he would see in them all must make him mad!!

Perhaps he and Jobsie are going to design a car for the rest of us now and turn that market on its head too!

Not impossible.

Aug 29, 07 - 01:03 pm Comment from: Brau

JesusWagen

Aug 29, 07 - 01:06 pm Comment from: Brau

Maybe it'll have Widgets on its Dashboard and a MultiTouch transmission

Aug 29, 07 - 01:08 pm Comment from: Alice

my dream is that Apple will enter the car market eventually.

Cars are so unrevolutionary, we need steve to pull up in his iCar and get us all thinking

Aug 29, 07 - 01:09 pm Comment from: iGot-it!

iThink therefore iAm

mw : students

Aug 29, 07 - 01:11 pm Comment from: GoldFishy

Imagine a car that, when parked in your driveway or garage, connected securely to your iTunes library and synced your music, videos (for the kids and whatnot), and audiobooks to your mobile stereo. No iPod cables, no hacked-together and inconsistent UI, just seamless, joyful iTunes/carPod goodness. FM Tuner optional for $50. I can see it already...

Aug 29, 07 - 01:14 pm Comment from: No Squirt For You

"Must be an add on and not just for the car."

I thought a Volkswagen was an add on.

Aug 29, 07 - 01:25 pm Comment from: hotinplaya

I love you ChrissyOne!!

Move to Mexico!

I'll build you a Palapa in Yalapa!

much better than a Condo in Redondo

(my wife thinks you are neat too!!)

Aug 29, 07 - 01:26 pm Comment from: ndelc

I'd love to see Apple design a car, but not with Volkswagen. I could never buy another after the 1990 Golf I once owned. It had more miles behind a tow truck than it did actually driving. If I didn't know better, I'd have guessed it was a Microsoft product.

Aug 29, 07 - 01:28 pm Comment from: M@c

This has to be an attempt at integrating more Apple products into the sutomobile, not designing an "Apple Car".

Kind of like a suite of options that you can add-on.

Although...if Apple ever designed a line of cars, I would imagine something small, electric, snappy, and with matte windows for all of the gloss haters out there.

Aug 29, 07 - 01:29 pm Comment from: jay

Women might only have one button, but there's nothing like the reaction to pushing it just right! grin

Aug 29, 07 - 01:31 pm Comment from: ChrissyOne

@ hotinplaya

I'm getting sick enough of the crappy weather in Seattle I just might...

Aug 29, 07 - 01:49 pm Comment from: newton

@Alice...I've had the same thoughts! The auto industry needs more outside-the-box thinking.

Aug 29, 07 - 02:36 pm Comment from: lbuschjr

Very short-sighted to think that this is simply about iPod/iPhone integration. VW does that now and doesn't need to meet with Steve Jobs to implement iPod/iPhone integration. This would be much more about how the car overall looks, feels, operates, and perhaps even with OS X as the car's operating system with touch-screen controls (most automotive navigation and other such systems have been horribly complex and user un-friendly).

Keep in mind also that this may simply be a concept car, and even that is likely 2 years away from seeing the light of day.

Aug 29, 07 - 02:43 pm Comment from: Rene

I would buy it...sight unseen.

Aug 29, 07 - 02:56 pm Comment from: Worm in the Apple

How does Volkswagen (non-)design compare to Apple's ? I must have slipped in another dimension...

Aug 29, 07 - 02:56 pm Comment from: VW is building an inexpensive auto

Volkswagen is working on an inexpensive automobile. This is probably just a partnership to have plugs and whatnot in the auto for connecting Apple products. Apple will not be building a car.

Aug 29, 07 - 04:14 pm Comment from: Billy Crystal's Mom

"I'll have what C1's having..."

Aug 29, 07 - 04:18 pm Comment from: Jobless In Seattle

@ Billy Crystal's Mom

Good one. wink

Aug 29, 07 - 06:00 pm Comment from: IT2

Subaru! Subaru! Not VW! Please!

Aug 29, 07 - 06:54 pm Comment from: LorD 1776

I think Apple should partner with Mercedes-Benz and integrate with their Smart Car. It's about the same size as an iPhone.
http://smartusa.com/

Aug 29, 07 - 11:09 pm Comment from: John

VW4Life!

If I had to choose between giving up my mac and giving up my V-Dub, I don't know which I'd choose. They're both *that important.*

Aug 30, 07 - 10:36 am Comment from: Beetle Lover!!!

I absolutely LOVE the Volkswagen Beetle and actually have thought about buying one...But not now! I'll just wait til these come out... Wonderful idea!!! Don't let me down...

Aug 30, 07 - 12:00 pm Comment from: iSteve

The 'smart' started as a joint project between Swatch and Mercedes. So if a watch company can partner on a car so can a consumer electronics company.

Aug 30, 07 - 05:03 pm Comment from: OBill-Wan Kenobi

Meh, VW needs an injection of style. Something happened awhile ago and they haven't been able to get back to their base. The New Beetle opened a new market for them and the Rabbit is a fun little car but their design problems go back to 1999-2000. The A4's, IMHO, were way too big. The last decent Golf/GTI base was the A3. The Passat was just a rebadged Audi but the V6 Passat Wagon was a kick @ss ride and the W8 dripped with German engineering. And yet they screwed the pooch with the new designs. They look like Japanese cars. They should revisit the Scirocco or better yet the Corrado, perhaps the finest sports car they ever built. I'm down to my '85 Westfalia and the wife's '00 Beetle. I miss my GTI sometimes, especially at the pump, but for the price of a new Rabbit (the way I wanted it) I got a new Tundra 4x4 (which comes in handy at the beach). There's something wrong at VW...and I'm sure they don't know it.

Aug 31, 07 - 02:09 am Comment from: D W

If it's anything like my Y2K diesel Jetta, you'll need a new iPod every 3 months because of the quarterly electrical meltdown.

Maybe Jobs could teach the Vdub electrical engineers a thing or two about how to do electronics properly, maybe then I'd buy another. Fun car, when it wasn't at the stealership...

You can always love a VW, when you have a backup vehicle...

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