Apple's Project Titan: 8 Rumors We're Following
Project Titan is either the best-kept or worst-kept secret in Silicon Valley. Whether Apple is or isn't building its own autonomous vehicle is not clear, but here's what we're hearing.
![](https://eu-images.contentstack.com/v3/assets/blt69509c9116440be8/blt85377c59e180bfa8/64cb4d4c4303143f2c9ebfb8/AAPL.HQ.2.jpg?width=700&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale)
As is the case with anything related to Apple, rumors and speculation surrounding Project Titan -- widely believed to be the company's plan to develop and produce either an electric vehicle or a self-driving car (or both) -- are dominating the tech world, though Apple has said little of its actual intentions.
While the company's secretive nature has always worked brilliantly as a PR strategy, there are certain things even Apple can't keep under wraps, whether it's a smartphone, tablet, smartwatch, or even, yes, an electric car.
It might be months, or even years, before Apple decides to officially release details of what Project Titan is. However, we've seen enough reported leaks to know that something is definitely bubbling beneath the polished exterior of the company.
Reports indicate that Apple has a seriously ambitious desire for upending everything we know about cars. While even the world's most important technology company has limits, most road signs are pointing towards an advanced piece of four-wheeled equipment.
A September research note by Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, which was published in several news outlets, put the likely chance of Apple actually producing an electric car at between 50% and 60%.
[Check out the collection of cool cars from this year's NY Auto Show.]
"If Apple makes a car as we know it today, we expect it to be an electric vehicle that is likely priced in the luxury market," Munster wrote. "A car by Apple may look completely different than what we think of as a typical car today in terms of shape and size."
Munster also opined that the project was closer to 10 years away from delivery rather than 5 years, noting that by that time automation will be a key competitive feature when Apple unveils the vehicle.
Still, there are plenty of precedents for Apple to get into the electric or autonomous car market. After all, Google -- its biggest rival -- is slowly preparing its self-driving car for general release.
Given all this info swirling around, InformationWeek pulled together a short list of what we know so far about Apple's plans. Since more details are sure to leak out, fueled by a healthy dose of rumor and conjecture, we'll keep you posted as more details roll out on the information superhighway.
The latest indication that Apple is pushing ahead with the project comes from a Wall Street Journal report. The publication quoted unnamed sources familiar with the matter as saying the company is targeting a shipment date of 2019, only four years away, and well ahead of the Piper Jaffray report. However, this is typical Apple with slow press leaks coming before a major announcement to build anticipation. By floating different dates, the company keeps the industry guessing and curiosity at its peak.
In August, Apple hired Jamie Carlson, a former senior engineer at electric car manufacturer Tesla Motors. Carlson is now listed as an employee of Apple under the heading special projects. In July the Wall Street Journal revealed that Doug Betts, a former global quality executive at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, has joined Apple, though Betts declined to comment when contacted by the paper.
While Apple has been hiring experts in autonomous vehicle technology, Apple's first all-electric car won't be fully self-driving. That technology will be integrated at a later date, and remains part of Apple's long-term strategy in the market. Previous reports had indicated the vehicle wouldn't require a driver behind the wheel.
Apple has authorized the leaders of Project Titan to triple the size of the development team, which currently stands at 600 and is swelling with the ranks of former auto industry leaders. As previously noted, that team consists of some of the best and brightest minds working in the field today.
A Sept. 18 report in British newspaper the Guardian broke the news that Apple company executives had met with the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) about Project Titan. Mike Maletic, a senior legal counsel at Apple, had an hour-long meeting in August with the department's self-driving car experts.
An earlier report from the Guardian revealed Apple's interest in GoMentum Station, a 5,000-acre, former Navy weapons station in California, which features 20 miles of paved roadway. Other companies have used the location for testing, validation, and commercialization of connected vehicle applications and autonomous vehicle technologies.
Apple's bid to be the next major force in the automobile industry is not being waged alone. Google, Tesla, Nissan, and others are all in the electric vehicle and self-driving car game. The latest round of testing for Google's self-driving car will bring the company's vehicles to the streets of Austin, the Texas capital. Google is also getting ready to start introducing its autonomous vehicles to a wider audience, and has hired several former auto executives to help with the sales pitch.
Apple's bid to be the next major force in the automobile industry is not being waged alone. Google, Tesla, Nissan, and others are all in the electric vehicle and self-driving car game. The latest round of testing for Google's self-driving car will bring the company's vehicles to the streets of Austin, the Texas capital. Google is also getting ready to start introducing its autonomous vehicles to a wider audience, and has hired several former auto executives to help with the sales pitch.
-
About the Author(s)
You May Also Like