The much-rumored “Apple Car” may take another five to seven years to hit the market, as the vehicle’s development is still in its early stages, says a new report.
It has been an open secret for quite a while that Apple’s “Project Titan” project was created to develop an electric self-driving car. While earlier reports indicated an Apple Car could be available as soon as 2024, on Thursday, Bloomberg reported that a production Apple vehicle is still at least half a decade away.
The report says Apple has a small team of hardware engineers working on a physical car, developing drive systems, vehicle interiors, and external car body designs. The report says the end goal is to eventually ship a vehicle to consumers. Earliest reports had indicated that Apple was focusing on autonomous systems to be used by third-parties.
Bloomberg’s sources tell them that the “Apple Car” is nowhere near the production stage, with COVID-19 related delays affecting the development. The majority of the Apple Car team is working from home or on a limited in-office basis.
As a part of the development of the vehicle, Apple has developed its own software, sensor hardware, and chip technologies. Apple is targeting a vehicle that can drive to a destination with little to no actions on the driver’s part.