While Apple backtracks, a Chinese phone maker has raced ahead
Geely Auto which was then known for making knock-offs of Western cars models. Today, Geely has a global footprint and is known for innovation just as other bigger Chinese car makers such as BYD Co. are gearing to outcompete Western companies.
A new chapter in this success story is of Xiaomi Corp., once known for making cheap smartphones. It has evolved into an electric-vehicle maker and aims to compete with Tesla. Just when Xiaomi announced its entry into the car market, Apple, the tech giant of the West, took a step back: it cancelled its EV project. The two happenings might show how Chinese companies are getting more aggressive while the US companies falter on technological evolution.
Apple in back gear
In February, Apple cancelled a decade-long project to build an electric car, abandoning one of the most ambitious projects in the history of the company, Reuters reported.
The decision to ultimately wind down the project is a bombshell for the company, ending a multibillion-dollar effort that would have vaulted Apple into a whole new industry. The tech giant started working on a car around 2014, setting its sights on a fully autonomous electric vehicle with a limousine-like interior and voice-guided navigation.
But the project struggled nearly from the start, with Apple changing the team’s leadership and strategy several times. Lynch and Williams took over the undertaking a few years ago — following the departure of Doug Field, now a senior executive at
