Apple in McLaren takeover talks? ~ station of gear

Tech giant Apple is in takeover talks with McLaren, to boost its chances in autonomous EV market

2016-09-21 17:15

Apple is looking at placing a bold takeover bid for British supercar maker McLaren, according to reports online. The global tech giant is apparently considering a “full takeover” or a “strategic investment” of McLaren and its subsidiaries – according to several people close to the British brand.

The makers of iPhone, MacBook and iPad have been working on a self-driving electric car for a number of years, but were recently said to be scaling back on research and development in this area.

In recent months Apple has lost several key employees, many of which were said to have been working closely on the EV project. Online speculation since their departure has hinted at Apple changing tack by focussing its efforts on the internal systems required to power and run an autonomous car, rather than manufacturing the vehicle outright.

Earlier this year, Apple hired ex-Tesla exec Chris Porritt to oversee its ‘special projects’ division. This was presumed to include the forthcoming Apple Car, though news and rumours of ‘Project Titan’ have since died down. Apple was also rumoured to be in talks with BMW and Mercedes, but this is the first mention of McLaren. Apple could be looking to the British-based engineers for expertise in everything from lightweight materials, to computer technology and electric motors.

Apple’s vision for a self-driving electric vehicle is – of course – at odds with McLaren’s driver focused supercars. However, the bid could also include McLaren’s Applied Technologies Group, which supplies extensive electronics expertise to the brand’s Formula 1 team, as well as elsewhere in high-level motorsport.

Further details are few and far between at the moment, and McLaren has so far not commented on the potential acquisition. We will update this story with further information as soon as it becomes available.

Do you think Apple buying McLaren would be a wise move? Let us know in the comments below…

Richard Ingram

Thank you for reading the article about Apple in McLaren takeover talks? in blog station of gear If this article was helpful please bookmark this page in your web browser by pressing Ctrl + D on your keyboard keys.