Eric ThayerThe Apple Car is Delayed Again: Will It Actually Happen?
A new report says Apple’s mysterious Project Titan is being scaled back.
For several years now, Apple has been working on an on-again, off-again car project called Project Titan. Even by the standards of one of the world’s largest companies, Apple has poured a ton of money into the project. It’s purported to be a potential “next big thing” for the brand to follow iconic consumer products like the iPhone.
That is, if it ever actually comes to fruition. According to a report from Bloomberg, the oft-postponed Apple Car project has been delayed yet again —and it may not be as cool as many people had hoped.
The Apple Car has reportedly been pushed back to 2028
Apple was purportedly prepping to launch the Apple Car in 2026, which seemed wildly ambitious considering how long new vehicle development takes. Per Bloomberg, the vehicle will now arrive in 2028 at the earliest.
And the Apple Car won’t be self-driving … at least, at launch
A major leap forward for the Apple Car project, according to reports, was that it was supposed to offer Level 4 autonomy, which would mean the car could drive itself on public roads. Apple could even potentially launch such a vehicle without a steering wheel and pedals.
According to Bloomberg, Apple has ratcheted back those ambitions. The plan is now to launch the Apple Car with Level 2+ driver assistant software — similar to GM’s hands free Super Cruise technology. The plan would be to eventually move to a Level 4 system.
How much will the Apple Car cost?
It’s expected to be pricey. Apple reportedly lowered its target price, from more than $120,000 to just below $100,000. That would still make the Apple Car more expensive than a Tesla Model S Plaid and more than twice the price of a Tesla Model 3.
Is the Apple Car really going to happen?
That is the question. On the one hand, not predicating the car’s arrival on Level 4 autonomy makes an Apple Car arrival in the 2020s much more realistic. But on the other, not having that cutting edge, paradigm-altering technology makes it harder to see why Apple would want to build a car at all.
Developing a car is expensive. Building cars at scale can be a painstaking logistical nightmare … particularly if you’re building supply chains up from scratch. If the only novelty Apple plans to add is sleek aesthetics and a more seamless user interface front, it’s not hard to see Apple execs wondering why they should bother.