According to Reuters, Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess said that he’s “not afraid” of an Apple Car and that Apple will not be able to overtake the $2 trillion automobile industry overnight.
The problem with this thinking is that no industry is ever disrupted overnight. It takes years of preparation. The Palm CEO said much the same thing – and look what happened there.
And the car industry is incredibly diverse. Hundreds of manufacturers worldwide, and the “software” that they use, is the road so it’s open to anyone with the cash to produce.
Apple have never taken over the industry (with the possible exception of the iPod). They’ve always been happier as a niche player, making decent margins and shaping the direction of hardware and software.
Will they disrupt the industry? Of course. But not by selling the most. If they do their job right, cars will change.