The long-rumored Apple Car may debut in 2021, two years before it was expected, according to supply chain reports.
Apple has been rumored to be working on the Apple Car for years, with a number of high-profile executives leading the project, known as Titan, at various points. Most recently, the project was put under the oversight of John Giannandrea, Apple’s head of AI. Throughout Titan’s history, it has been describedalternately as a full-fledged car, an AI system for using with a manufacturing partner or an aftermarket system that can be integrated with a variety of vehicles.
According to Reuters, the Apple Car is once again on track to be a full-fledged vehicle, slated for production in 2024. Apple is also reportedly working on a radical new battery technology that could give the company an advantage.
A separate report by Economic Daily News (via MacDailyNews), however, puts the Apple Car’s debut much sooner, as early as September 2021.
The key supply chain in Taiwan confirmed that Apple expects to release the Apple Car in September next year, at least two years earlier than the original plan. Its prototype has been tested on the roads in California, USA.
According to the report, Apple is preparing a major manufacturing initiative.
Futian’s second phase plant in Tongluo is expected to be put into operation next year. The production capacity of electric vehicle power motor components for the first and second phase plants can be increased from the current 400,000 sets per year to 1 million sets in one fell swoop, and the power integration system will increase to more than 400,000 sets.
According to the executives of a major electric vehicle supply chain manufacturer, with the order shipment and assembly completed, dozens of Apple Car’s first prototype cars have been secretly tested on the road in California.
At this point, given Apple’s long-standing and well-deserved reputation for secrecy, there’s no way to know exactly what Cupertino is up to. Nonetheless, multiple rumors regarding the Apple Car’s development and (perhaps) sooner-than-expected release, could signal a major upheaval in the automotive industry.