In a rather unexpected turn, Apple has reportedly decided to simplify the ambitious design of its autonomous vehicle, the Apple Car, opting for a more straightforward strategy. According to Bloomberg, the company has readjusted its plans for the Apple Car, now focusing on an electric vehicle with driver assistance features, more in line with current Tesla models.
Hold on, there are curves coming
Originally, the Apple Car was conceived as a fully autonomous car, without the need for human intervention. However, this vision has been considerably modified. After abandoning plans for full autonomous driving, Apple aimed for a level 4 autonomous vehicle, which would have allowed the car’s system to take control in certain circumstances, such as on highways. But even this goal has been considered too ambitious.
Apple’s current strategy focuses on a car with driver assistance features similar to those we see in Tesla, aiming for a level 2+ system. Thus, although the vehicle has support for steering, acceleration, and braking, the driver remains responsible for the vehicle and must pay attention to the road continuously.
Initially, Apple had plans to introduce the car around 2026, but now it has set a target for a launch no earlier than 2028. According to Bloomberg, this adjustment marks a “crucial moment” for the Apple Car project, which could be definitively canceled if the goals are not met.
This is not the first time we hear rumors of a possible cancellation of the project. Since the first mention of Project Titan in 2014, we have closely followed rumors, patents, and many changes. Recently, there was speculation that the new CarPlay was the most we were going to see from an Apple vehicle, although according to Mark Gurman, we will indeed see a car with the Apple logo.
The last significant change we are aware of in the Apple Car project was when Kevin Lynch, head of Apple Watch, took the reins of the project and, together with Tim Cook, adopted a new strategy after pressure from Apple’s board of directors. This was already a few years ago and should have yielded progress in the project. A project, yes, kept in the utmost secrecy and of which, despite the many patents we have seen, we know very little.
With Apple fully focused on the upcoming Vision Pro, which is set to expand internationally, and with rumors of a completely transformed iOS 18 thanks to generative AI, it seems that the company has several significant fronts open simultaneously. Since 2014, we knew that the Titan project was a long-term endeavor, and now, with Apple hitting the brakes on the Apple Car, it seems that we will have to wait a little longer.
