Canada-based auto components maker Linamar has said it has held discussions with Apple and Google (Alphabet) about potentially supplying parts to them if they decide to make cars.
Bloomberg reported that in an interview, CEO Linda Hasenfratz said she was excited about the potential to work with new players in the auto industry.
“They’re interested in partnering with people in the industry as well because obviously we’ve got the experience and we know what we need to do in order to build a high-quality vehicle,” she told Bloomberg TV Canada. “We’re quoting work and designing product that could be utilised in those vehicles,” she added.
Apple and Google have been consulting firms in the auto industry, but their strategies to enter the automotive/transportation space are still far from clear.
There have been a number of reports that Apple is working closely with Magna, another Canada-based supplier.
Last month the Google and FCA announced a claimed first-of-its-kind collaboration to integrate Google’s self-driving technology into redesigned 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans to expand Google’s existing self-driving test programme. This is the first time Google has worked directly with an automaker to integrate its self-driving system, including its sensors and software, into a passenger vehicle.