“The traditional motor industry would be foolish to ignore moves by Google and Apple into car technology, said Fiat-Chrysler boss Sergio Marchionne,” Russell Hotten reports for BBC News.
MacDailyNews Take: Yes, they would; more Apple than Google as Google’s efforts (mapping down to the last inch and relying on maps which then instantly become old, static data in a dynamic world is infeasible) are actually rather laughable to date.
“The chief executive of one of the world’s biggest carmakers said the two US companies were ‘incredibly serious’ about their automotive ambitions,” Hotten reports. “He said their move into driverless technology and electric vehicles could be ‘disruptive’ for manufacturers.”
“Apple has several hundred people working on a car project, called Titan. The company’s vast resources made it a potential tough competitor, although Mr Marchionne said he’d like to talk Apple about working on potential projects,” Hotten reports. “However, he said that neither Google nor Apple should ‘underestimate carmakers’ ability to respond and adapt’ to new competitive challenges.”
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Lynn Weiler” for the heads up.]
Related articles:
Many auto execs see Apple Car as serious competitor – March 3, 2015
Mercedes-Benz chief: I don’t think we’ll be talking about Apple Car this time next year – March 3, 2015
Nissan CEO on Apple Car possibility: ‘It’s obviously good news’ – March 2, 2015
Instead of adapting (to Apple), perhaps the current auto manufacturers should strive for better products now.
Crabapple would like to remind MDN readers that a precedent was set by Toyota when they bought the top of the range BMW, Mercedes, Rolls Royce and Bentley which they dismantled piece by piece in order to understand what made those cars what they were. The result was the introduction of Lexus, an amalgam of those four cars which at the time was exulted but has now gone down the route of high volume ordinary cars.
I dare say that this is what he is alluding to in stating their capacity to respond.
“However, he said that neither Google nor Apple should ‘underestimate carmakers’ ability to respond and adapt’ to new competitive challenges.”-
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In other words, they can and will copy what Apple does.
That’s a lot of hubris you have there.
Please give us one example of an automotive company that copies Apple now, or anytime in the past. Just the opposite is more likely to be true: if Apple was to enter the auto industry, it would have to rely on existing auto component suppliers, existing car designers and engineers, and leverage existing state of the art to make what they think a car should be — and it will not look or operate fundamentally that differently than what you drive today. Why? Because mature industries with significant infrastructure and regulation don’t revolutionize, they evolve.
I think you underestimate just how much could change in the design of an automobile. One of Apple’s strengths is parts reduction. Each part may become more complex but it would serve many more functions.
Someone on this forum the other day posted some brilliant possibilities, where for example electrical circuits (re: wiring harnesses) could be embedded directly in the chassis and/or body of the car. The whole man-machine interface (re: steering wheel, acceleration and brake pedals) could change, perhaps for the better.
The poster mentioned a few other really cool ideas that I forgot. I would not assume that Apple would do anything the same as existing auto manufacturers.
If it’s driverless, I’m all aboard. I dislike driving and computers are much better drivers than humans.