Well, Well, Well -- CNBC Missed A Scoop -- And They Were So Close -- A Huge Story -- January 10, 2021

This is quite a story and I bet no one caught it. LOL.

Late last week, Hyundai mentioned that it was in talks with Apple.

Apple: no comment.

Hyundai seemed to back track a bit, and correspondents noted that Apple talks to multiple companies on multiple issues. LOL.

Then this, the "tell": a CNBC talking head -- blond, female -- she said, tongue-in-cheek, if that's accurate -- that Hyundai said it was talking to Apple, someone at Hyundai is in deep trouble. She said Apple has a history of cutting off relationships if anyone talks out of school. It looks like CNBC, specifically the CNBC automobile analyst completely missed this scoop. If it was being reported that Hyundai was talking to Apple, it was likely to be a lot farther down the road than folks were surmising. 

This is not Hyundai's first rodeo. For someone at Hyundai to mention anything, they had "written" permission from Tim Cook to say something. 

And here it is, from Reuters: Hyundai Motor and Apple plan to sign a partnership:

• to sign by March, 2021
• EV / autonomous car production by 2024
• original reports: Hyundai's manufacturing plant in Georgia; then, removed from reports

From elsewhere:

• a "beta version" of the ‌Apple Car‌ could be released in 2022.

This is the question that needs to be asked: where will the companies that supply batteries be located?

Anyone following the "car battery" story will know the answer to that question.

On another note, an automobile expert said it would take "half a decade" for Apple to produce a car. LOL. 

Let's see: 2024 - 2021: three years. 

If one things TSLA is undervalued, have we got a recommendation for you. LOL. 

A huge "thank you" for a reader alerting me to this article as soon as it posted. I probably would have caught it in the morning when AAPL futures are posted.

Disclaimer: this is not an investment site.  Do not make any investment, financial, job, career, travel, or relationship decisions based on what you read here or think you may have read here.

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How Big Is This Story?
It Will Get Much Bigger

Link here. 

Hyundai Motor Co. said Tuesday [October 20, 2020] its brand value was ranked fifth among global automakers on its efforts to evolve into a future mobility solutions provider. 

Hyundai Motor's brand value rose 1 percent to $14.3 billion in 2020 from $14.1 billion a year earlier, the company said, citing global brand consulting firm Interbrand's top 100 brand rankings for this year. 

Hyundai Motor's brand value ranking was up one notch from the prior year, and it marks the first time for South Korea's leading automaker to make the global top five list. 

In addition, Hyundai Motor is the sole automaker in the world to register an on-year rise in brand value. 

"Despite the coronavirus pandemic, Hyundai's brand value advanced thanks to its aggressive investment in hydrogen fuel-cell electric and other next-generation vehicles and future mobility technologies," an Interbrand official was quoted as saying. 

Toyota Motor Corp. was the No. 1 global auto brand with $51.6 billion, trailed by Mercedes-Benz with $49.3 billion, BMW with $39.8 billion and Honda Motor Co. with $21.7 billion. Tesla placed sixth with $12.8 billion, followed by Ford Motor Co. with $12.6 billion, seventh.

Hyundai and Kia are joined at the hip, by the way. Now the third. Apple.