“It’s alive!” These are the famous words spoken by Dr. Frankenstein, played by the amazing Gene Wilder, in Young Frankenstein, and possibly by Tim Cook after discussions with Porsche CEO Oliver Blume. That’s because a new report suggests that the Apple Car isn’t totally dead. No, it might not be the Bread Loaf some hoped for and others feared. Instead, it might drive like a Porsche and work like an Apple product. Talk about a win-win.
In Germany, there’s a publication called Manager Magazine that is sort of like the country’s equivalent of Bloomberg Businessweek. It’s a business publication with generally strong sourcing in companies based in Germany and, in particular, it has a good history of knowing what’s going on in Volkswagen-land.
A recent story from Manager Magazine implies that Apple and Porsche are working on a car that’ll end up being a much greater integration than we’ve seen before. It highlights how the two brands have worked closely in the past, how Apple execs love to drive Porsches, and how they might work together in the future:
Preparations are now underway for an Apple-Porsche. Since Cook abandoned plans for his own Apple Car at the end of February, there have been completely new options for collaboration. A lot is now possible for Porsche; some developments and projects from the world of the Apple Car could now become available. It’s not just about software, they say in Stuttgart; Apple has also pursued exciting approaches to battery systems, for example.
That’s been translated by Google, but it gets the idea across. Volkswagen’s CEO Oliver Blume is also Porsche’s CEO, and he just demoted VW’s own software unit by partnering with Rivian. A tie-up with Porsche for infotainment makes a lot of sense in that context. Again, from Manager Magazine:
Porsche, those involved are curbing enthusiasm, will not adopt Apple’s entire operating system. But the partners are working on a project they call Shared Experiences. There will be shared interfaces in the car; the Apple and Porsche worlds are to merge in this way. The first model that could carry the genes of an Apple Porsche is the electric Cayenne, scheduled to launch in 2026.
In the same way that nobody needs a Porsche, nobody really needs an iPhone, iPad, or iWhatever. The two brands represent status as much as they do performance, and an Apple-Porsche car with higher levels of integration could be a strong selling point, especially as the competition is trying to replace CarPlay.
The final nomenclature, branding, and integration are far from decided, but imagine an automotive interface that feels as natural to you as your phone. We’ve already seen a lot of possibilities from Apple’s proposed in-car interface.
Interestingly, the all-electric Cayenne isn’t the end-all-be-all of this partnership. According to the report, the codenamed K1 three-row SUV platform coming later in the decade could end up being the first Apple Porsche in the lineup if the Cayenne doesn’t time out.
Will any of this come to pass in the coming years? Maybe.
For Porsche, it’s a chance to differentiate its products and deal with its own programming woes after losing about $5 billion on a software affiliate that’s getting sidelined. For Apple, it’s a chance to potentially salvage all the work they’ve put into the automotive sector after spending about $10 billion on an EV car program that went absolutely nowhere.
If you want to feel better about yourself, by refusing to build a software unit or a semi-autonomous EV over the last few years you saved about $15 billion compared to Apple/Porsche.
Photo: Porsche