TOKYO (Reuters) – Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. said Monday it is not in talks with Apple Inc., following a report that the iPhone maker has approached the Japanese company in recent months about linking its d ‘autonomous cars.
The Financial Times said the companies had held brief discussions that faltered over Nissan’s reluctance to become an Apple-branded car assembler, adding that talks had not advanced to the top management level. .
“We’re not in talks with Apple,” a Nissan spokeswoman said. “However, Nissan is always open to exploring partnerships and partnerships to accelerate the transformation of the industry.”
The spokeswoman declined to comment.
Apple representatives were not immediately available for comment.
Concerns about becoming a mere contract maker for Apple were also a factor in this month’s collapse in the first talks on autonomous electric cars between Hyundai Motor Co. and the American tech giant.
Reuters reported in December that Apple was advancing with autonomous car technology and aimed to produce a passenger vehicle that could include its own advanced battery technology as early as 2024.
Reports of Eimi Yamamitsu in Tokyo, Nandakumar D and Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Edited by Edwina Gibbs