BMW CEO Harald Krueger told German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung (via Reuters) that having a strong brand makes "BMW Group and Apple very similar." The comment came in response to the newspaper asking if the executive if he saw Apple as a potential partner.
"Let me answer in general terms," Mr. Krueger said. "There is something which makes BMW Group and Apple very similar. Both are companies with strong brands."
The broader context of the conversation was talks that reportedly were going on between Apple and BMW when Mr. Krueger came to power at the car company. Mr. Krueger said he was open to working with technology firms to make the cars of the future.
"Fundamentally," he stipulated, "both partners need to profit from the cooperation, otherwise it will not last. And both companies need to share the same principles, for example with regard to data security."
Apple is known to be working on its own car, and one of the rumors that has sprung up around this reality is that Apple could partner with BMW to do so. Apple CEO Tim Cook visited BMW headquarters in 2014 to learn about how BMW makes its I3 electric car.