FRANKFURT--A spokesman for BMW AG (BMW.XE) said on Thursday the
German carmaker isn't in talks with Apple Inc. (AAP) to develop a
car, denying a press report in German magazine Auto Motor und
Sport.
According to the report, the two companies were discussing the
possibility of working on developing a passenger car and that Apple
was impressed with BMW's carbon-fiber electric cars, citing a
manager at BMW.
A spokesman for BMW told The Wall Street Journal the car maker
was in regular talks with companies in the telecommunications and
I.T. industry, including Apple, on topics like connecting vehicles.
However, development or production of automobiles aren't part of
this conversation.
According to Auto Motor und Sport, managers of Apple and BMW are
in talks about how it's possible to integrate the Apple operating
system in to the i3, allowing iPhones, Apple Clocks, iPads, laptops
and Mac computers to communicate and exchange data. However, it
would require BMW to reveal secrets about its own vehicle
software.
Magazine website: http://www.auto-motor-und-sport.de/
Write to the Frankfurt Bureau at
djnews.frankfurt@dowjones.com
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