It is rumored that Apple is working on an autonomous car, codenamed “Project Titan”. Apple reportedly started work on the project in 2014 and, years later, the rumor is in full swing, speculating when Apple will debut its autonomous driving technology. Speculation has become so rampant that potential competitors for an Apple car are already weighing in on its potential threat to the auto industry in general.
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As reported by Reuters today, Volkswagen Group CEO Herbert Diess said he was “not afraid” of an “Apple Car” and that Apple would not be able to overtake the $ 2 trillion auto industry overnight. In typical Apple style, the company has not confirmed that it is working on an autonomous car, but Diess believes the rumors and reports are “logical”. Apple has experience in battery technology, software and design, and can easily use all of its proficiency in these areas to create a car, said the CEO.
Similar observations can be found in 2006, a year before the launch of the iPhone, when the CEO of Palm, who at the time was one of the leading smartphone manufacturers, said that Apple would not “just discover this”, referring to smartphones . In the years that followed, however, the iPhone would captivate the market, leading to revenue of $ 65 billion in a single quarter.
Volkswagen, headquartered in Germany, is one of the largest car manufacturers in Europe and worldwide, giving it significant dominance over the industry. Diess said he was not concerned that Apple’s entry into the market would hinder Volkswagen’s dominance, saying that despite Apple’s experience with all the technology needed to create a car, his company is still “not afraid” and that Apple “will not be able to “interrupt the market overnight.
Until this year, very little was known about how Apple would build a real autonomous car. Apple uses third-party suppliers, such as TSMC and Foxconn, to build current products like the iPhone and Mac, but none of its current suppliers are fully positioned to build an automobile. On that front, Apple is expected to partner with a well-known and established car manufacturer to fulfill its autonomous car ambitions.
In early January, reports began to emerge that Apple was close to closing a deal with Hyundai, after the automaker released a statement confirming that it was in talks with the technology giant. The statement was quickly revoked and reworded to exclude mentions of Apple, and it has since been reported that negotiations between Hyundai and Apple have been halted.
Several sources have suggested different deadlines for the “Apple Car” launch, with the oldest report suggesting a launch as early as 2024. Bloomberg, however, believes that the car “is nowhere near the production phase” and that the launch is at least five to seven years away.