Here are your Apple rumors and AAPL news items for today:

Nine Car-makers Partner With Apple to Bring Siri to Cars: The integration of the iPhone with automobiles is taking a big step forward as Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) partners with nine global automakers to bring its Siri voice assistant to provide “eyes free” phone use to cars, Apple Insider reports. Under a system in development, a button on the steering wheel will engage Siri and permit drivers to make phone calls and use other iPhone features by voice. Apple is working with BMW, General Motors (NYSE:GM), Mercedes, Tata‘s (NYSE:TTM) Land Rover and Jaguar, Volkswagen‘s (PINK:VLKAY) Audi, Toyota (NYSE:TM), Chrysler and Honda (NYSE:HMC) on the system, Apple Insider says.

HTC Cannot Sue Apple Using Google Patents: The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) has rejected HTC’s attempt to sue Apple using patents loaned from Google (NASDAQ:GOOG), AllThingsD reports. With Apple pressing further patent infringement claims against dozens of HTC devices, HTC tried to counter-sue Apple using patents it borrowed from Google. The ITC decision leaves HTC in a continuing legal bind as it tries to respond to Apple’s litigation, and cuts the legs out from under Google’s strategy of loaning patents to Android vendors to use in suits against Apple, AllThingsD notes.

iOS 6 Will Widen Gap Between iPhone and Android: An analyst with Piper Jaffray (NYSE:PJC) says the new features in iOS 6 unveiled by Apple yesterday at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) will firmly establish the iPhone as the leading smartphone over Google’s Android OS, Apple Insider says. The analyst expected iOS 6 improvements to accelerate the iPhone’s global smartphone market share from 23% today to 33% by 2015. The analyst adds that the integration of iOS 6 with Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) will make the iPhone into the “de facto ‘Facebook phone,'” Apple Insider notes.

For more from the company, check out our previous Apple Rumors stories.