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The "rolling chassis" from German suppliers Bosch and Benteler.
A future electric car from Pininfarina is to be built on this technical basis
Photo: Bosch
The Apple Macintosh, which can be operated by mouse, changed the world of computers in 1984;
Apple's iPhone revolutionized the mobile phone industry in 2007.
Will Apple's attack on the auto world follow in 2024?
The Californian electronics company has been working on an electrically and autonomously driving vehicle for years under the project name "Titan".
It could drive in three years, it was said in unconfirmed reports.
Recently, rumors have been growing that Apple is not developing its own iCar, but is accessing a ready-made technology platform.
The basis of the Apple car - chassis, electric drive, battery - would be bought in.
The tech group could concentrate fully on its core competence: electronic networking.
It is unclear with which partner this could happen.
The automaker has denied speculation about a collaboration between Apple and the Korean Hyundai-Kia group.
Nissan has also recently been forced to reject reports of talks with Apple.
But Apple theoretically has many other options.
Nowadays, it is not only original car manufacturers that are considered cooperation partners for career changers.
A number of supplier companies are also available for cooperation.
It helps enormously that it is about cars with the comparatively simple electric drive - and no longer about cars with internal combustion engines.
Suppliers now offer complete modular systems for e-vehicles.
This could be of interest to start-ups and other newcomers in the automotive industry, says Stefan Reindl, Director of the Institute for the Automotive Industry (IFA) in Geislingen: "You can use such platforms to get vehicles to market quickly and cost-effectively."
All that remains on the technology package is a "lid"
There are blueprints for such projects.
The Italian design studio Pininfarina is now active as a car manufacturer.
Previously, it was known for decades for dressing Ferrari sports cars.
The first in-house model, the Battista super sports car with an engine output of 1900 hp, will be followed by less brutal electric cars.
Pininfarina purchases the technical know-how as a complete package from the German suppliers Bosch and Benteler.
The two companies have jointly developed a "rolling chassis", a modular platform for electric cars.
It combines all the components of the two suppliers that are relevant for driving.
According to Bosch, e-mobility is increasing the demand for such integrated solutions.
Benteler developed the scalable battery storage system and the chassis, while Bosch provides the matching electronic accessories - from the control unit to the electric motor to the braking system.
So if you want to produce an electric car, you can do it with an already finished framework.
All that needs to be done is the individual »lid« - consisting of interior fittings and body.
Bosch and Benteler are not the only suppliers who see their chance.
Apparently, the electrical platform of the Canadian-Austrian company Magna Steyr is also in demand.
The contract manufacturer, who among other things builds the Mercedes G-Class as well as some BMW and Jaguar models, was also traded as a possible partner of Apple in the past.
However, the connection between the Austrians and the Japanese electronics group Sony has been confirmed.
Its electric car, which was presented a year ago, is already rolling through Austria with Magna-Steyr technology for test purposes.
Suppliers are making new car brands mobile
The American car start-up Fisker recently announced that it would manufacture its electric vehicles on the basis of the Magna-Steyr platform.
That came as a surprise.
Because the study of the Fisker car was still based on the MEB modular electronics kit from Volkswagen.
This cooperation failed, however, and so the SUV model Fisker Ocean will debut next year without VW technology.
The acquired technology platforms are changing the structure of the automotive industry - and they are making new business models possible.
The low-budget segment is characterized by low profit margins, says IFA director Reindl.
"In this area, the necessary economies of scale could be achieved by using such a platform by several manufacturers." In short: If several small manufacturers buy the same technical framework from one supplier, it pays off for all.
The opposite, that is, mighty show off, is also possible using the platform strategy.
For example, an SUV model with 100 kWh battery capacity and up to 300 kW output (equivalent to 408 hp) can be built on the “Rolling Chassis” from Bosch and Benteler.
Who is building the Apple car now?
The variety of options attracts many companies.
Including the Herzogenaurach-based supplier Schaeffler, which has also developed its own platform.
Continental from Hanover manufactures an integrated axle drive at its subsidiary Vitesco that combines the electric machine, power electronics and transmission.
The part has been installed in the electric cars Peugeot e-208 and Opel Corsa-e since 2019.
The Munich start-up Sono Motors also relies on Vitesco technology.
New companies are also entering the market.
The Californian start-up Canoo, founded in 2018, has developed a particularly flat electric platform on which Canoo wants to build its own cars and vans.
Up to 368 kW of power and a range of 480 kilometers are possible.
The first type on this platform, a minibus, is announced for 2023.
"By keeping the most critical and expensive part of the vehicle uniform in all our models, we can bring a full range of electric vehicles to market quickly and cost-effectively," said Ulrich Kranz, head of Canoo and formerly head of the BMW electric offensive "i" .
Now Foxconn also wants to get involved
American media reported last year that Apple was interested in taking over Canoo.
Spicy: The start-up has been an official partner of Hyundai since 2020 - the company that the Apple rumors were about.
These are not yet completely silent, also because of Canoo.
Everything fits so nicely: Hyundai and Canoo have announced that they will jointly develop an electric platform.
Apple may also turn to an old friend when it comes to car manufacturing: the Taiwanese company Foxconn.
The electronics giant manufactures, among other things, the iPhone.
In October 2020, Foxconn first got involved as an automotive supplier and presented an electric car platform.
By 2027, Foxconn says it wants to have components in every tenth electric car worldwide.
Will there also be models from Apple?
The Americans owed SPIEGEL no answers to these and other questions.
However, one thing is clear: it has never been as easy as it is for career changers like Apple to build their own car.
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