The Apple Car's features didn't stop at collision avoidance.
To be called truly innovative, it needed much more—and the next feature to be unveiled was remote parking.
"When we consulted with insurance companies, they told us that over 30% of accidents occur while parking," Steve explained. "Even skilled drivers make mistakes, and parking remains one of the most common causes of crashes. But Apple Car owners won't have to worry about that. The car will park itself."
Remote or smart parking systems came in many forms—from simple sensors that beeped when detecting nearby obstacles, to fully autonomous controls that handled steering, shifting, and ignition.
The Apple Car was equipped with the latter.
"Steve! Please activate the parking system."
"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm about to show you a magic trick—parking without touching the wheel."
Steve engaged the auto-parking system and raised both hands in the air.
The Apple Car scanned the surroundings, located a parking space, and carefully eased its way in.
Compared to a skilled human driver, the process was a little slower.
But thanks to its flawless algorithms, the chance of an accident was practically zero.
And while parking, the collision-avoidance system stayed active, ready to apply emergency brakes in case of the unexpected.
"Well, what do you think? I parked without lifting a finger."
[Woooaaahhh!]
Steve stepped out of the car, raising his hands once again in triumph.
The audience erupted, as if on cue.
But the parking demonstration wasn't over yet.
"One more thing! You can park the car even without being inside it. All you need is the Apple Car app on your iPhone. Like this."
Steve mirrored his iPhone screen onto the big display.
With a tap on the auto-parking function, the red Apple Car began maneuvering itself into the adjacent parking spot.
[Woooaaahhh!]
"This time, I'll add one more thing!" I chimed in. "We've all experienced it—your car is parked too close to another, forcing you to squeeze in from the passenger side, or worse, wait for the other driver to move. But with the Apple Car, that's no longer a problem."
I activated the Apple Car app myself.
The parked vehicle slowly pulled forward on its own, creating enough space for a driver to comfortably step inside.
"You'll never have to worry about cramped parking spaces again. And yes—it works just as well when you need to load your trunk."
[Woooaaahhh! Apple Car! Apple Car!]
We allowed ourselves a brief moment to bask in the cheers.
But the most important announcement still hadn't been made. Steve raised his hand, calming the roar of the crowd.
"And here's the key—every Apple Car function is fully integrated with the iPhone."
[Waaaaaaahhh!]
It was the very line iPhone users had been waiting for.
From iPads to home appliances developed in collaboration with Apple, customers chose them for one reason: everything worked seamlessly with their iPhones.
And above all, what mattered to them most was the Apple experience itself—something the Apple Car delivered in full.
After the Apple Car product launch, I returned to the hotel.
Steve was still at the venue, leading the developer conference, and I felt a twinge of guilt for leaving.
But I had to take care of myself.
If I stayed any longer at the event, I would have collapsed for real.
So the moment I reached my hotel room, I threw myself onto the bed.
Yet someone was already waiting for me in the room.
"Chairman! Today's presentation was incredible!"
"David? When did you get here?"
"I came straight to the hotel to meet you as soon as the Apple Car presentation ended. Looks like I arrived about five minutes earlier."
I lifted my face from the pillow.
It wouldn't be polite to lie down while someone was standing.
"How's the reaction? The event just ended, so I assume there isn't much feedback yet?"
"In today's world, Chairman, all product launches are streamed live on YouTube. Right now, 'Apple Car' is the top trending search term, and social media is buzzing."
David pulled out a tablet and showed me the live response.
I focused on the real-time search rankings:
Apple Car
Apple Car price
Electric vehicle subsidies
Exactly what I had hoped for.
The fact that the Apple Car was an electric vehicle was already known, so naturally, people were now showing interest in its price and subsidy policies.
"If interest in the Apple Car heats up, the U.S. government might even accelerate electric vehicle subsidy legislation."
"It looks like we'll see moves in that direction soon. On top of that, Saudi Aramco has started building an enormous number of EV charging stations, which is drawing significant attention from politicians."
Politicians ultimately followed the will of the people.
If the public wanted the Apple Car—a fully electric vehicle—policies had no choice but to move forward.
"Any opposition so far?"
"The subsidies for electric vehicles are confirmed, but the key question is the amount, isn't it? And whether the subsidies will cover EV infrastructure costs and charging fees is still uncertain."
"It does look tricky, doesn't it? Technically it's the Apple Car, but the company that benefits is Taewoo Group. The U.S. government might hesitate to increase the subsidy amount because of that."
"That was my concern as well."
American taxpayers' money going to a Korean company.
Apple would also benefit, so objections weren't loud—but if this issue wasn't addressed, I wouldn't be able to secure the full level of incentives I wanted.
"Then we'll need some media maneuvering. Spread a rumor that GM is also collaborating with Apple to produce an Apple Car. Claim it will be a large SUV model, something not in the existing Apple Car lineup. People would believe it, right?"
"You mean… manipulate the media?"
"Not manipulation. GM will soon join the Apple Car lineup anyway."
I owned GM.
And I was the largest shareholder of Apple.
So collaboration between the two companies was simply a matter of my decision.
Of course, I'd need to persuade Steve—but he wasn't likely to refuse.
"If GM joins the EV market, the U.S. government could significantly increase EV subsidies."
"You think David can handle it?"
"Absolutely. Starting today, I'll meet with politicians from the government, ruling party, and opposition to persuade them. We'll aim to secure subsidies of up to $8,000 per vehicle!"
Eight thousand dollars was nearly ten million won.
If subsidies of that magnitude were available, the Apple Car's price competitiveness would be tremendous.
It was an amount capable of instantly carving into the market share of internal combustion engine vehicles.
"I'm not even aiming for eight thousand. Even around five thousand dollars would have a major impact on Apple Car sales."
"Then we'll make it happen. Oh? President Han is calling."
David pulled his phone from his pocket.
I nodded, and he put the call on speaker.
[David! Is the Chairman with you? His phone is off.]
"He's right here. He must have forgotten to turn it back on during the Apple Car presentation."
[Chairman! Inquiries about the Apple Car are flooding in. People from all over the world are already asking how to purchase it.]
"That's faster than expected."
[Not only that, but Taewoo Motors and Kia Motors' stock prices jumped over 8% at the opening bell. They're still climbing. It's extremely rare for major companies in Korea to see such a sharp rise.]
Taewoo Motors had a market capitalization of roughly 30 trillion won, and Kia Motors stood at about 20 trillion won.
Yet both stocks surged 8% immediately after trading began—and were still climbing.
"Partnering with Apple certainly generates a strong reaction."
[That's partly due to Apple's brand value, but also because the Apple Car's features are impressive. The auto-parking demo video already uploaded to YouTube has surpassed eight million views.]
"Sales may even exceed our expectations. Any issues with production?"
[Production is fine, but Captain Kang reports that suspicious people have been frequently appearing near the factory—likely members of the press.]
It was only natural that reporters would visit the factory.
The world was buzzing about the Apple Car; how could they stay away?
"Don't chase them away too aggressively. Just tell them that we'll be holding an Apple Car demo event in Korea soon. And see if we can increase Apple Car production a bit."
[All factories in the U.S., China, and Korea are already running 24/7. We can't go any faster than this.]
"Don't we have some idle factories?"
[Are you referring to GM's factory?]
"Coordinate with GM so that Apple Cars can be produced there as well."
GM was also part of the Taewoo Group.
So we could decide what products would be manufactured at their factories.
[Producing Apple Cars at GM could at least boost GM's sales slightly.]
"And soon, GM will release a new Apple Car in collaboration with Apple. Preparing now by producing electric vehicles isn't a bad idea."
[Then we'll send people immediately to retrofit GM's factory for electric vehicle production.]
GM's massive losses had several causes.
They had even sold loan products, which was uncharacteristic for an automaker, and labor costs were enormous.
High labor costs also meant they had a huge factory—more than capable of handling large-scale production.
"Focus first on idle factories to install electric vehicle production lines. For the rest, just get them ready for future deployment."
[Understood. Oh! And I received a message from Dimon. He'd like to meet if you have time.]
"I was planning to arrange a meeting with Dimon soon anyway. We're in the U.S.—I should meet the head of the country's largest financial institution."
[Then I'll update you as soon as there's any new information.]
After finishing the call with President Han, fatigue hit me even harder.
I instinctively supported my head with my hands, while David, quick to sense the moment, stood up and stepped aside.
"I'll handle everything related to the U.S. government and political circles."
"Please do. Right now, I just need to rest."
No sooner had I spoken than I flopped onto the bed.
I became one with the pillow and drifted straight into sleep.
When I open my eyes again, it was morning.
And an unexpected figure was waiting for me on the hotel room sofa.
"Steve! What brings you here so early? Didn't you sleep?"
"I slept for four hours. But tell me—how can someone so young need so much sleep?"
"Is there good news, then?"
After a relentless schedule, Steve had only gotten four hours of rest.
A normal person would show signs of fatigue, yet there was none on him.
Such composure was only possible if truly exhilarating news had arrived.
"The response to the Apple Car is far better than I expected. Do you know that? The whole world is talking about the Apple Car right now!"
Even Steve was human, after all.
He was clearly feeling a surge of excitement from checking the Apple Car's reception.
"Congratulations. This project wouldn't have been possible without you, Steve."
"The congratulations should go to Chairman Kim. Now, let's start the idea meeting. If we want to launch another innovation next year, we need to start moving immediately."
I should have known.
The only reason workaholic Steve would show up in my room was to hold an idea meeting.
"…Just let me drink a glass of water first, then we'll start."
I was trapped in the hotel room, compelled to run an idea meeting with Steve.
Meanwhile, David kept sending updates, reporting that the U.S. government and politicians were positively considering the proposed increase in subsidies.