Apple has been required to provide support for its car for 40 years
Toyota President Akio Toyoda said that if Apple's car becomes a reality, Cupertino must prepare for at least 40 years of service and support, explaining that the key to entering the auto industry is realizing the need to provide support to customers for decades.
And unlike consumer electronics, cars are built to last for decades, and customers expect companies to support them for a long time.
At a press conference in his role as president of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, Toyoda said he welcomed Apple's entry into the auto industry, but added that Cupertino should prepare better for long distances.
"Anyone can build a car if they have the technical ability," he said, "but I hope they realize they have to prepare for 40 years of responding to customers and the various changes after they build a car."
He added: The entry of technology companies into the auto industry means that the auto industry has a future, and we welcome new entries, but I don’t think it would be fair for these newcomers to say: We don’t need to strengthen ourselves for 40 years.
Rumors have long pointed to Apple entering the auto industry, and it is claimed that it wants to build a fully-featured, self-driving electric car that competes with Tesla and other electric vehicles.
Apple can partner with other famous manufacturers, such as Toyota, Hyundai or BMW, or look for another option.
Investors say the Apple car is a matter of when and not, as an electric car from Apple could generate an estimated $ 50 billion by 2030.
It has been confirmed that Apple has held partnership talks with well-known carmakers, and in January Hyundai took an unusual step to confirm that it was negotiating with Apple.
Public comments led to Apple temporarily halting the talks due to a lack of discretion, and Hyundai and its subsidiary Kia then tried to distance itself from those comments.
While negotiations were underway, other reports emerged claiming that the South Korean automaker had considered handing over the project to Kia to help reduce any impact on the Hyundai brand from becoming a car manufacturer for other companies.
It is also alleged that Apple has held talks with carmakers in Japan, and British MPs have also expressed an interest in bringing production to the country.
It is noteworthy that this is not the first time that heavyweights in the industry have issued warnings to Apple as it enters a new market.
After Apple announced the first iPhone, Microsoft CEO at the time, (Steve Ballmer) Steve Ballmer said: There is no chance that the iPhone will get any major market share, and Microsoft was pushing at that time for its Windows Mobile operating system.
Motorola's director of technology also commented at the time, saying: There is nothing revolutionary about any of the technologies, as the touch interface, motion sensors, accelerometer, gesture recognition, camera, built-in MP3 player and Bluetooth are all available in products from the industry leaders in the mobile phone industry.
Apple will likely not launch until 2024 or later.