Fisker said in 2021 that Foxconn will help with product development, sourcing, and manufacturing, and that the partnership will enable his company to deliver products “at a price point that truly opens up electric mobility to the mass market.”

Not wishing to put all of its automotive eggs in one basket, Foxconn is also involved in a joint venture with Chinese automotive giant Geely, parent of Volvo, Polestar, and Lotus among others. Similarly, Pegatron, another Taiwanese firm tasked with assembling iPhones, is now also a manufacturing partner of Tesla.

Finding a technology partner could soon be of utmost importance for car brands yet to fully embrace advanced infotainment, driver assistance, and connectivity systems. Lei Zhou, a partner at Deloitte Tohmatsu Consulting, told WIRED it is “highly likely” that automakers who go it alone with their own technology are in danger of being left behind.

Zhou added: “If conventional OEMs develop connected technologies with their current capabilities, they may find themselves left behind by emerging EV makers with IT backgrounds or OEMs that have partnered with powerful tech partners … significant value can be generated by collaboration with a variety of players, including technology and business fields.”

And Just What Is Apple Up to?

The opposite is also true, where technology companies keen to develop their first car require help from automakers with manufacturing experience.

Tyson Jominy, vice president of automotive consulting at JD Power, told WIRED: “Tesla, Rivian, Dyson, Lucid, and others have all done really well through the process of designing a car. But when you get down to the brass tacks of building a car it’s very difficult. When a lot of startups run into problems, it’s [because] mass-producing cars at scale is hard. So partnering up does make sense.”

Such partnering between auto and tech makes us wonder what Apple’s current position is. Its Project Titan division has ebbed and flowed for years now, reportedly growing, shrinking, and changing direction without ever revealing itself in public. CES this year showed how there are numerous ways for technology companies to break into automotive—so much so that it’s now easy to imagine Apple being unable to decide between running out an entire car, a major upgrade to CarPlay, an autonomous driving system, enhanced mapping, or a computational platform like the Qualcomm Digital Chassis.

If Apple is still interested in cars—and if Project Titan is even still active—we’re now starting to see precisely how its tech rivals are placing their bets. Going it alone would be tough, even for a company with Apple’s mighty resources.

“I just don’t think the nuts and bolts of building cars is something of interest to Apple,” says Jominy says. “So I could see something like a Sony-type play … Apple has one of the most envious positions in the auto industry [with CarPlay] … there’s more dollars to chase and it probably will, but the auto industry as a whole is still relatively low-margin, certainly relative to software.”

Whoever cuts the right deal with the strongest ally will secure the best position to succeed in what has become a rapidly evolving car industry—one that is now more reliant than ever on intelligent, connected technology (and entertainment, if autonomous driving ever becomes reality). Those who go it alone, or pick their partners poorly, run the risk of being left behind.