Latest Suit Against Apple (AAPL) is Further Evidence of Automobile Ambitions

Adding more evidence that Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) is moving toward the auto industry, Reuters reported Wednesday night that electric vehicle battery-maker A123 Systems filed a lawsuit against the consumer electronics giant, claiming that the company was poaching top engineers to build a large-scale battery division.

According to a suit filed in Massachusetts federal court this month, Apple began aggressively luring top talent away from A123 starting in June 2014. Engineers were said to be working on critical projects at A123.

Apple is currently developing a large-scale battery division to compete in the very same field as A123, the filing stated. It appears that Apple, with the assistance of defendant Ijaz, is systematically hiring away A123’s high-tech PhD and engineering employees, thereby effectively shutting down various projects/programs at A123 ... They are doing so in an effort to support Apple’s apparent plans to establish a battery division that is similar if not identical to A123’s, in competition with A123.

News comes following recent speculation that Apple might enter the auto industry. While most market watchers saw this as potentially bad for Tesla Motors (Nasdaq: TSLA), Tesla opened its patents up last year to drive such innovation and there are a slew of other major automakers also vying for EV market share.

Apple is lower in early trading Thursday.

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