Apple is reportedly looking to go beyond smartphones, laptops and wearables and is currently in talks with BMW to come up with the company's first Apple-branded electric car.
Rumors about Apple entering the electric car industry have been going around for quite a while, with the company being said to have built up a secret car production lab where the electric cars will be made.
Apart from preparing the assembly location, Apple was also seen talking to car making experts and automotive suppliers, the most prominent so far is BMW, which is speculated to build with Apple the first among the prospective electric cars that will also bear the company's logo in front.
According to reports, the upcoming Apple electric car may have a minivan-inspired design and that the assembly period may take several years. There's no information, however, on whether Apple would eventually build its own unique line of cars.
German publication Manager Magazin claims that Apple executives, which include CEO Tim Cook, went to the German city of Leipzig last year and visited BMW's facility. That time, the car maker was currently in the middle of making the i3 electric car.
The German site also claims that Apple wanted to make the i3 version as the platform for the company's own electric car. Talks between the two companies purportedly started in the latter part of 2014, although it was also possible that negotiations stopped for an undefined period.
A spokesman for BMW released a statement to CNBC, which said that the company "holds regular talks with companies from the telecommunications and IT industry, including Apple, about vehicle connectivity topics." He also added that "vehicle development and production are not the subject of these talks."
Just a few days ago, Apple reportedly hired Doug Betts, a veteran in the automotive industry who had been working at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles until 2014.
There were also reports that Apple had been visiting other car makers earlier this year, with companies such as Fiat, Tesla and BMW hinting on the iPhone maker's intent to enter the electric car industry.
Lastly, Apple is said to have hired the head of research and development from the North American R&D lab of Mercedes-Benz.
With a number of popular car-making companies being mentioned with Apple's name, it is obvious that the iPhone maker is seriously considering its entry into the growing electric car industry. If rumors are accurate, Apple may have its first electric car produced through a successful collaboration with BMW.
