Nissan confirms is not working with Apple in autonomous EV production

Nissan has revealed it is not working with Apple on autonomous electric vehicle (EV) technology as the tech giant attempts to break into the automotive industry following the breaking down of talks with Japanese firm Hyundai.

Sources close to the FT reported talks had occurred in recent months between the two companies but has failed to reach an agreement.

Read more: Hyundai & Kia: Not holding autonomous EV talks with Apple

The sources confirmed the talks did not reach executive levels following divisions over branding regarding the tech giant's EVs.

A Nissan spokesperson told Reuters that they were “not in talks with Apple,” adding that the automaker is “always open to exploring collaborations and partnerships to accelerate industry transformation.”

This caused the entire situation to be unpredictable and left many industry experts guessing over who would eventually side with Apple.

However, one of the sources said talks broke down after Nissan had doubts about their role in the project, citing their disinterest in being relegated to the role of hardware supplier.

A number of key automakers have come forth to discuss the situation.

Ashwani Gupta, the COO of Nissan likewise confirmed the Japanese company is also not in talks with Apple.

In an interview with the FT, he said: “We have our own customer satisfaction, which comes by car. No way we are going to change the way we make cars. The way we design, the way we develop, and the way we manufacture is going to be as an automotive manufacturer, as Nissan.” 

However, Gupta remains optimistic that Nissan can work with tech companies to achieve various significant technological milestones for the industry, such as connected vehicles or advances in autonomous driving.

Herbert Diess, the CEO of Volkswagen has openly said Silicon Valley entering into the automotive industry "does not scare" his company.

He described the tech giant's foray into the industry as "a logical step" in an interview with German newspaper  Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung as the iPhone maker combines its expertise in software, batteries and design with enormous financial resources.

He added: "The car sector is different from the technology industry, and Apple will not manage to make it over overnight."

VW also recently announced its partnership with Microsoft to deliver self-driving cars through its software wing, Car.Software.

Their role in the partnership is to simplify the advancement of autonomous driving and implement it into cars.

Read more: VW and Microsoft team up for self-driving cars

Apple's entry into the automotive industry was set to shake things up and since its talks with Hyundai surfaced, both companies surged on the stock market. However, share prices tumbled once the talks fell through.

Nissan's brief involvement with the project also caused their stocks to rise slightly, before petering out once it denied its involvement.

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