Nissan reportedly interested to team up with Apple

With Hyundai Motor Group seemingly out of contention, it appears that another automaker has expressed interest to team up with Apple to develop its self-driving electric car. According to the Wall Street Journal, Nissan is open to the deal.

Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida said: “We need to take new initiatives and work with companies that are knowledgeable, with good experience, through partnership and collaboration.” This was Uchida’s response to the media when asked about his willingness to team up with Apple during a press conference for its quarterly results.

Equity analyst Mio Kato chimed in and said that among the Japanese automakers, “Nissan is the most likely candidate to be in serious discussions with Apple.” Nissan has invested billions of dollars to expand its footprint in the US, allowing it some spare capacity to fill.

This news also comes less than a week after reports suggested that Apple is in active talks with multiple Japanese car companies over production and supply contracts. Apparently, it is in active discussions with no less than six companies, but none of them have confirmed these rumours.

Mazda and Honda would not comment on the matter, and Mitsubishi insists that claims of Apple’s ongoing discussions with several Japanese automakers are false. Nissan, on the other hand, declined to acknowledge the rumours. This is not surprising, for Apple is known to keep a very tight lid on its projects. Looks like the Japanese automakers have learned a thing or two from the Hyundai-Apple fallout, right?

GALLERY: 2017 Nissan IMx Concept