Reinventing the car turns out to be quite a job
Apple’s electric car, for which 2024 was previously the target year for the introduction, will not come before 2026. Bloomberg reports this based on sources. Furthermore, Apple abandons the ambition to turn its car into a fully self-driving one.
A possible car from Apple has been rumored for many years now, but it is now clear that the leading tech company is actually working on the development. Earlier we wrote that it should be ready in 2024, but Apple will not make it, reports a Bloomberg reporter. The project would still be in the ‘pre-prototype phase’ and a first prototype would not be ready until 2023 at the earliest. Given the secrecy that Apple has so far harbored around the project, we are betting that we will not see it immediately.
That will probably only happen closer to 2026, the year for which the introduction is now planned. Apple has the ambition to ‘reinvent’ the car with its Apple Car, just as it did with the mobile phone, for example. It therefore had to be able to drive completely autonomously, which would allow for a non-conventional layout of its interior – as we know from many previous concepts. A living room on wheels, in which there is no steering wheel or pedals.
‘Just’ with steering wheel and pedals
Apple is also reportedly abandoning that ambition. It will undoubtedly want to be able to claim that it has reinvented the car, but will not do so with a fully autonomous model. The car must be able to drive completely independently on the highway, but any future technology for absolute autonomy will not (yet) be available in 2026 – not even at Apple. The car will soon have a steering wheel, pedals and forward-facing seats on board. We will be curious to see what innovations Apple will come up with, but patience once again proves to be a virtue.
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl