Apple selling cars...direct to consumers?

[lisarathburn]

I am not sure about it... is it true

 

[John W.]

Am I the only one a bit confused by the poll at the top of this topic?

 

[Chris Leslie]

If Apple ever got in to the Automotive space my prediction is that they will only be self driving vehicles. Even more, self driving vehicles that you summon like uber. I don't see them getting into the auto business as whole.

 

[joe.pistell]

Self-driving cars are coming and they'll be very disruptive to our industry. Think Uber but without drivers. Wall street money is running full steam into this new space... buckle your seat belts.

Wow, self-driving coming fast.

Self-driving comes to Freightliner. Industry journalists get a demo


http://www.ccjdigital.com/behind-the-wheel-of-freightliners-inspiration-autonomous-truck/

"We were dealing with pretty significant cross-winds during my drive...The system reacts to wind gusts far quicker than a human driver can, and responds with fluid movements far removed from the half-panicked jerk of the steering wheel most drivers would instinctively make."​

 

[joe.pistell]

About a year ago, top Apple execs (incl'ing Tim Cook) flew to Germany to tour BMW facilities and meet with the board.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/07/31/us-apple-bmw-courtship-insight-idUKKCN0Q52CW20150731

"...During the visit, Apple executives asked BMW board members detailed questions about tooling and production and BMW executives signaled readiness to license parts..."​

All OEM leadership is very aware of the disruption that tech is about to unload on cars.

"BMW has realized next-generation vehicles cannot be built without more input from telecoms and software experts..."

​

Go to the bank on this... Epic change is coming.

 

[joe.pistell]

Self-driving cars are being built in modules that complete tasks. Adaptive cruise, lane departure warning & a few others make up Freightliner's self driving truck.

AAA just did a study on "man vs machine"

"...A new study from the AAA put human drivers who considered themselves adept at parallel parking in a “park-off” against five models of self-parking cars. The result? Human drivers got absolutely destroyed by the automated cars in a test of basic parking skills"
http://fusion.net/story/201438/self-parking-cars-better-than-humans/​

Apple sees a world where self-driving cars will totally change our relationship with our cars.

...In the future, when cars can drive themselves, it'll be a rolling living room. Car buyers will choose their cars based on it's entertainment value and it's seamless experience with your OS (e.g. Android, IOS, etc).

Change is coming... fast.

[update] Just found this... Apple targets shipping date for electric car for 2019
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/21/apple-inc-electric-car-idUSL4N11R4JJ20150921​

 

[Alex Snyder]

Am I the only one a bit confused by the poll at the top of this topic?

It has been fixed. And anyone can change their response if they don't feel it is inline.

 

[Alex Snyder]

As far as the tech race into the car manufacturing business....

Without a doubt our entire industry is going to look very different than what we know today. Change is coming on all levels. We've been an industry that hasn't evolved drastically since Henry Ford gave us the assembly line. We're all still a bunch of horse traders who have had it pretty good for the last 100 years. And the manufacturers have prospered to the point of almost everyone developing the exact same line of cars. Change must have a bullseye painted squarely on our foreheads because we're an easy target.

Apple. Google. Samsung.

Which car company are you going to buy first? I hear there are a few diesels out there on the cheap

 

[joe.pistell]

To put a counter-balance to this thread, KPMG interviewed 200 auto execs and they're not concerned about all this crap




https://www.kpmg.com/Global/en/Issu...executive-survey/Documents/2015-report-v1.pdf

 

[skutchhenks]

Without a doubt our entire industry is going to look very different than what we know today. Change is coming on all levels. We've been an industry that hasn't evolved drastically since Henry Ford gave us the assembly line. We're all still a bunch of horse traders who have had it pretty good for the last 100 years. And the manufacturers have prospered to the point of almost everyone developing the exact same line of cars. Change must have a bullseye painted squarely on our foreheads because we're an easy target.

I agree. In 10 years this landscape will be very different; OEM, dealers, suppliers, vendors. We are an easy target, this business is it's own worst enemy from the top down. But I also think changes will be slowed and gradual, there are too many laws regarding transportation and employment involved to be a total revamp overnight. Plus OEM's will compete and they are in a better position to scale up/down as needed.