I'm surprised the article doesn't mention the (Sony Electric Car)[https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/8/21056404/sony-vision-s-electric-concept-prototype-first-look

I'm surprised the article doesn't mention the (Sony Electric Car)[https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/8/21056404/sony-vision-s-electric-concept-prototype-first-look-ces-2020 https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/8/21056404/sony-vision-s-ele...}. Sony isn't getting into building cars either, they did this partially as a design exercise and to help them understand the needs of their customers, who are the car manufacturers using Sony chips. Apple is in the auto industry with Apple Auto, and it's entirely possible they are building cars to not be constrained by the design of what the car makers are supplying, like reference design for PCs that intel makes. Intel was never going to make a laptop, but it helps them better understand the market, and sell more of their products, if they have a deep understanding of, and can help their customers sell/use more of Intel's product. I haven't used Apple Auto, but I assume they don't have much of a leg-up on Android Auto, and with Volvo using Android as the OS for it's cars now, I'm sure Apple is looking at the opportunity for deeper integration and Apple Auto only features they may be able to develop with auto makers