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.
Yikes – first AT&T, now Volkswagen? I’ll believe it when I see it.
so it begins… and here I am still wondering how the frak i’m suppose to find the cash for an iPhone!
jobswagen
I hope they don’t weld down the battery.
Apple doing something low end????
6500 Euros???
Must be an add on and not just for the car.
OMG! Glossy Windows!
I call bullshit.
but that’s just the gut reaction…
At least it will only have one button.
MW: ‘plans’
Volkspod
Podwagen
@ 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
VW should scrap this and focus on bringing the TDI back to the US across the product line.
If anyone can bring back the electric car, it would be ( and ought to be) Apple.
\”At least it will only have one button.\”
One button that matters. Just like most women.
@ ChrissyOne\’s Jilted Ex
And you couldn’t find it with a search party.
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).
@ Shoeman
Still a lot cheaper than brakes for a Subaru.
@C1,
You are in top form today. Don’t stop.
Search party, BWAHAHA!
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Would Spotlight find it?
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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>
@ @C1
My Mag-lite found it once.
I found it.
Once.
Cool.
Can’t wait to see how “multi-touch” works on the windshield.
Or maybe it’s got some cool scrollwheel?
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?
apple: Robotics and Superconductivity, look into it. Gates already mentioned it during the All Things “D” love-in, how MS is starting into robotics.
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!