Following the CEO’s statements, the company’s stock has skyrocketed.

Japanese carmaker Nissan has expressed its interest in partnering with Apple to produce the much-rumored self-driving electric car.

During the quarterly earnings call, Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida answered a question about a potential partnership with Apple now that Hyundai is no longer in talks to produce the tech giant’s car:

“As technology reshapes the automotive industry, we need to take new initiatives and work with companies that are knowledgeable, with good experience, through partnership and collaboration,” Uchida said.

While not a confirmation that the companies have started negotiations, the response illustrates a willingness to collaborate on a project that has reportedly been turned down by other major carmakers.

Uchida’s comments come less than a week after some reports said Apple is in talks with more Japanese automakers overproduction and supply contracts.

Honda and Mazda said they could not comment on rumors that they were contacted by Apple, while Mitsubishi said they had not been contacted and Nissan declined to comment.

According to analyst Mio Kato, Nissan is “the most likely candidate for Apple” due to spare production capacity in the United States, the report said.

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