Rumor has it that Apple is working on a self-driving car with the internal code name “Project Titan”. Apple reportedly began work on the project in 2014, and years later the rumor mill is in full swing, speculating when Apple will introduce its self-driving technology. Speculation has become so widespread that potential Apple Car competitors are already downplaying the potential threat to the overall auto industry.
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As reported by Reuters today, Volkswagen Group CEO Herbert Diess said he is “not afraid” of an “Apple Car” and that Apple will not be able to catch up with the $ 2 trillion auto industry overnight. In typical Apple fashion, the company has not confirmed it is working on a self-driving car, but Diess believes the rumors and reports are “logical”. Apple has expertise in battery technology, software, and design, and it can easily use all of its skill in those areas to make a car, the CEO said.
Similar comments can be traced back to 2006, a year prior to the launch of the iPhone, when the CEO of Palm, who was one of the leading smartphone makers at the time, stated that Apple would not ‘just figure this out’, referring to smartphones. However, in the years that followed, the “iPhone” would conquer the market and eventually lead to $ 65 billion in revenue for one quarter.
Based in Germany, Volkswagen is one of the largest car manufacturers in Europe and around the world, giving it significant dominance over the industry. Diess said he is not worried that Apple’s entry into the market would disrupt Volkswagen’s dominance, saying that despite Apple’s expertise in all the technology needed to make a car, his company is still “not afraid” is and that Apple “will not manage” to disrupt. the market from one day to the next.
Until this year, very little was known about how Apple would build a true self-driving car. Apple uses third-party vendors such as TSMC and Foxconn to build current products such as the iPhone and Mac, but none of the current vendors are fully positioned to build a car. In this regard, Apple is expected to partner with a well-known and established car manufacturer to fulfill its ambitions for self-driving cars.
In early January, reports began to surface that Apple was about to negotiate a deal with Hyundai, after the carmaker released a statement confirming it was in talks with the tech giant. The statement was quickly withdrawn and reformulated to rule out Apple mentions, and talks between Hyundai and Apple have since been reported to have stalled.
Multiple sources have suggested different timelines for the launch of Apple Car, with the earliest report suggesting a release as early as 2024. Bloombergbelieves, however, that the car is “nowhere near production” and that release is at least five to seven years away.