애플이 iCar 사업에 현대를 선택할 수 있는 이유 - Here's why Apple could pick Hyundai for its iCar

 

사진, 기사 출처 : edition.cnn.com/2021/01/08/tech/apple-car-hyundai-partnership/index.html

Analysis: Here's why Apple could pick Hyundai for its iCar

London (CNN Business)Apple is reportedly in talks with Hyundai about cooperating on electric cars. A partnership with the South Korean company makes a lot of sense, but it might not be the only carmaker keen to develop a relationship with the iPhone maker.

애플은 보도된 대로 전기차 협업에 대해 현대와 협상중이다. 대한민국 회사와의 파트너쉽은 충분히 말이 된다. 그러나 아이폰 제조업자와의 관계를 발전시키고 싶어하는 자동자 제조업체가 되지 않을 수도 있다.

 

This is not the first time Apple (AAPL) has been caught kicking the tires. Senior Apple executives toured a BMW (BMWYY) factory in 2014 to check out the company's electric car manufacturing, but the courtship didn't lead to much. Since then, there's been plenty of speculation about "Project Titan," Apple's secretive but plodding effort to break into the auto business. 

애플이 사전 조사하는 것이 포착된 것이 처음은 아니다. 애플 최고 중역들은 BMW의 전기차 생산을 확인하기 위해 2014년에 BMW 공장을 둘러 봤었으나 협업은 성사되지 않았다. 그 이후 "타이탄 프로젝트"에 대한 많은 추측이 있었다. 애플의 비밀스러우나 꾸준한 노력은 자동차 사업으로 끼어 들었다.

 

Any iCar is still years away under any circumstances. But now may be a very good time for Apple to accelerate its plans.

The pandemic has triggered a global sales slump just as carmakers begin seriously to confront the huge challenge of ditching the internal combustion engine to tackle the climate crisis. The investment required to develop electric cars has helped spark a wave of partnerships across the industry, with companies teaming up to spread the costs.

아이카는 여전히 어느 상황 하에서도 몇 년 뒤쳐져 있다. 그러나 애플이 현재 이 계획을 가속하기 위해 현재가 매우 좋은 시기이다.

팬데믹은 기후 위기를 극복하기 위해 내연 기관을 버려야 하는 거대한 도전에 진지하게 직면하기 시작한 자동차 제조업체들처럼 세계적인 판매 침체를 촉발시켰다.

 

In this environment, carmakers that have shied away from making it easier for upstarts to gain a foothold in their industry are suddenly more open to collaboration. Hyundai (HYMTF) has been among the most open to joining forces with other companies — and even tech firms, according to analysts.

이 환경에서 자동차 제조업체들은 자동차 산업에서 발판을 얻고자 하는 신생기업들과의 갑작스런 협업을 쉽게 만드는 것을 두려워해 왔다. 현대는 다른 회사, 분석가들에 따르면 심지어 테크 기업들과의 협업에 가장 많이 열려 있다.

 

The South Korean company, which also owns Kia, is working with China's Baidu (BIDU) and US chipmaker Nvidia on autonomous driving. It is partnering with upstart Croatian automaker Rimac on electric cars, and Uber (UBER) rivals Grab and Ola on mobility services. The large number of existing partnerships could make Hyundai a more appealing partner to Apple.

현대는 또한 중국 바이두와 자율 주행 칩메이커인 엔비디와 협력 중인 기아도 소유 중이다. 

현대차는 전기차에서는 크로아티아 제조업체 Rimac, 모빌리티서비엣서는는 우버의 라이벌인 Grab과 Ola과도 협업관계이다.많은 수의 현재의 파트너쉽은 애플에게 현대가 매력적인 파트너임을 어필하게 만든다.

 

The carmaker is also the crown jewel of one of the huge family-linked conglomerates, or chaebol, that dominate the South Korean economy, churning out everything from steel to elevators. Being part of a much bigger industrial network is a plus, according to David Bailey, an automotive expert and professor at Birmingham Business School in England.

현대는 또한 대한민국 경제를 지배하고, 금속부터 엘리베이터까지 모든 것을 대량 생산하는 거대한 가족 관계의 복합기업 또는 재벌이라는 왕관을 갖고 있다. (that ~ elevators 까지의 문장은 chaebol 을 수식하는 듯) 자동차 전문가이자 교수인 David Bailey에 따르면, 더 거대한 산업 네트워크의 구성원이 되는 것은 추가 사항이다.

 

Hyundai has already made significant strides on next-generation vehicles. In December, Hyundai unveiled a new manufacturing platform called E-GMP, which should enable it to sell electric vehicles with more than 300 miles of driving range, and that can be charged to 80% of full power in 18 minutes, similar to other electric vehicles on the market today. It can be used as the basis of sedans and SUVs, said the company, which has also developed a hydrogen fuel cell system.

현대는 차세대 운송수단에 이미 거대한 진전(발걸음)을 만들고 있다.12월 현대는 E-GMP라 불리는 새 제조 플랫폼을 공개했다. 300마일 이상을 운행하는 전기 차 판매가 가능하고 다른 전기차와 비슷하게 18분 내 80%까지 충전할 수 있음을 의미한다. SUV와 세단 기초로 사용될 수 있다고 수소 동력 연료 전지를 개발해 온 현대는 발표했다.

 

"Hyundai has done all the hard yards — they make a good car. They are reliable, good quality and competitively priced," said Peter Wells, a professor at Cardiff Business School in Wales and director of the Centre for Automotive Industry Research. A partnership with Apple would be "an interesting match to open up a new era in the automotive industry," he added.

Another reason why Hyundai makes sense: The company is an experienced player in Asia, which is expected to be the center of global economic growth over the next few decades, and its manufacturing base is near China, which is the world's largest car market and the biggest driver of demand for electric vehicles. (A large chunk of Apple's supply chain is already based in the region, with Taiwan's Foxconn and others making the iPhone in China and India.)

Investors recognized the potential benefits on Friday, sending Hyundai's shares up by roughly 20% in Seoul. It was the stock's best day in at least two decades. Shares in Apple dipped slightly in New York.

Apple (AAPL) declined to comment to CNN Business. Hyundai said in a statement only that "we are receiving proposals for cooperation from various companies, but no decision has been made."

 

Wedbush Securities analyst Daniel Ives said in a research note that electric vehicles "could ultimately be a trillion dollar opportunity globally over the next decade and its a smart strategic move for Apple to dive into the deep end of the pool." But building cars at scale is incredibly difficult, and a partnership was the most likely route to market for a would-be "iCar," he added.

"We believe based on our investor conversations over the last few weeks that many on the Street would rather see Apple partner on the [electric vehicle] path, than start building its own vehicles [and] factories," said Ives. "A potential larger strategic partnership with an established [electric vehicle] player such as Tesla or Volkswagen would be a golden partnership."

Apple may also choose to enter multiple partnerships. Wells said that Honda (HMC) has "always been more open and fluid" than other Japanese carmakers such as Toyota (TM), and the company sells millions of cars each year in the United States. "I could see [Apple] working with someone like Honda in terms of their position in the market," he said.

Volkswagen (VLKAF), the world's largest carmaker, could be another option. The German company has opened its Modular Electric Toolkit (MEB) electric vehicle platform to other automakers, and it has struck a deal with Ford (F) to develop electric and self-driving cars. Analysts also floated Tata Motors' Jaguar Land Rover and Geely, the Chinese owner of Volvo, as potential Apple partners.

But it may be unlikely that Apple would team up with the world's largest electric vehicle company, Tesla (TSLA). Last month, Tesla CEO Elon Musk claimed that he had once attempted to sell Tesla to Apple, but that Apple CEO Tim Cook "refused to take the meeting."

Apple declined to comment on Musk's claims at the time.

The prospect of a cash infusion from Apple would be appealing to carmakers as they seek to boost sales and emerge from the coronavirus pandemic. But making a car with another company's brand may prove a bridge too far for many, particularly those with established premium brands.

"Which vehicle manufacturer is going to buckle first and become a contract builder for a company like Apple? That's the question," said Wells.

 

* 후기

   현대 화이팅! 역시 다이내믹 코리아.

우리나라 몇 년전만 해도 신 동력 산업 없다고 미래가 암울하다는 경제 전망이 꽤 지배적이었는데 언제 이렇게 된 거지? 

 

* 소요 시간 : 01:03:00

 

* 단어

keen : 열망하는, 열정적인

Senior executives : 회사 중역

courtship : 교제, 연애, 구애

speculation : 추측, 짐작, 투기

plodding : 꾸준히 (느릿느릿) 하는

break into : 몰래 잠입하다, 개입하다

combustion engine : 연소기관

internal-combustion engine : 내연기관

ditch : 배수로, vt. 버리다, 차 버리다

just as : 꼭 ~처럼

trigger : 촉발시키다

shy : 겁을 먹다, 주춤하다 shy - shied - shied 

open to : ~에게 공개된, 열린 마음을 가진

autonomous driving : 자율 주행

autonomous : 자주적인, 자율적인 

conglomerate : 복합 기업, 대기업, 집합(복합)체

conglomerates : 복합기업

churn out : 대량 생산하다

automotive : 자동차의

stride : vi.성큼성큼 걷다,  n. 발걸음, 진전

fuel cell system : 연료 전지 시스템