Adding to the evidence suggesting Apple is secretly developing an electric car, Fiat Chrylser CEO Sergio Marchionne said Apple’s CEO Tim Cook is “interested in Apple’s intervention in the car.”
Originally reported by Reuters, Marchionne met with Tesla, Google and Apple during a recent visit to California. Beyond Marchionne directly stating Cook’s interest in Apple’s “intervention,” the fact that Marchionne is even meeting with Apple would make anyone suspicious. We already know that Tesla and Google are players in the automotive space, but Apple hasn’t made any official statements about entering the space.
This comes in addition to reports about Apple’s aggressive poaching campaign of Tesla employees. Tesla CEO Elon Musk told Bloomberg Businessweek that Apple was offering $250,000 signing bonuses and 60 percent salary increases to engineers. There are also reports about a secondary facility near Apple’s Infinite Loop campus that includes a “repair garage” and “auto work area.
As reported by Reuters,
With regard to Apple’s Cook, he said: “He’s interested in Apple’s intervention in the car, that’s his role.” Marchionne was not more specific about Apple.
