Apple cancels Apple Car to focus on artificial intelligence

Apple has closed the Apple Car project, his electric vehicle initiative. A decade after it began, Project Titan has ceased to exist in order to focus on other strategic areas of the company. The tech giant notified more than 2,000 employees there that they were moving into artificial intelligence.

According to a report from BloombergApple held a meeting with Special Projects Group (SPG) employees to tell them the news. Jeff Williams, director of operations, and Kevin Lynch, technical director and project manager, told their employees that Project Titan will end. The decision will be associated with a change in strategy, according to which representatives of Cupertino artificial intelligence will be focused.

According to sources close to the project, The death of the Apple Car has become a topic of discussion among top managers companies. The decision to cancel it was made in recent days after analyzing the viability of the project. The high development cost, added to the estimated price of $120,000, posed a risk for the Cupertino company.

A few weeks ago it became known that Apple had adjusted its plan and delayed the launch of Apple Car until 2028. Engineers weren’t persuaded to complete it before 2026, and they agreed to cut back on one of its most important features: autonomous driving. In a meeting with Tim Cook, Kevin Lynch and his engineers came to the conclusion that the car will be offered with Level 2 technology+, which allowed him to autonomously stay in the lane.

The idea of ​​a 100% autonomous Apple Car without a steering wheel or pedals would be limited to science fiction movies. Company would focus on a realistic goal: an electric car powered by Apple chips that can drive itself down the road while the user watches a movie or video game.

Apple Car: Apple’s most ambitious project in years

The first signs of an Apple Car appeared in 2015, when reports pointed to an electric car project that would compete with Tesla and Google. He Wall Street Journal mentioned that hundreds of Apple employees were working on the minivan-type vehicle.

Apple executives met with some component manufacturers, and the industrial design team was responsible for the first sketches. During this year, Cupertino residents entered into agreements with companies and experts in the field of autonomous driving. The goal was to launch an electric prototype in 2019, although it will not have all the features.

He Apple Car suffered its first hit in 2016, when Steve Zadesky, the head of the secret project, left the company. Zadeski took the reins of Project Titan in 2013 thanks to his experience as a mechanical engineer at Ford. A few months later, Apple brought back Bob Mansfield and Doug Fieldwho left Tesla to lead Apple’s self-driving car project.

After a year of secrecy, the first car with Apple’s self-driving technology has begun driving in Silicon Valley. Equipped with sensors, cameras and radar, the Lexus RX450h has received street approval from the California Department of Transportation. He Apple Car was alive and analysts predicted its imminent launch.

Hyundai, GM, Nissan and alliance rumors

One of the most important moments in the history of Project Titan occurred in early 2021, when it became known that Apple was in talks with Hyundai-KIA to produce the Apple Car. In accordance with CNBCThe South Korean company would like to sign an agreement to develop an electric vehicle and batteries, but Hyundai denied this information.

Subsequently, Chung Eui-sung, CEO of Hyundai Motor Group, opened the door to a fully autonomous car, stating that The first version will be developed without a driver..

Despite the initial buzz, negotiations with Hyundai fell through and Apple Car had to find a new partner. Rumors pointed to NissanHowever, the Japanese company clarified that they do not intend to produce the car using a methodology different from the one they use. In the end, Apple slammed the table and put the idea of ​​partnering with the auto industry giant behind it.

After many years of uncertainty, Apple has canceled one of its most ambitious projects. This decision may have been influenced by the current economic outlook and uncertainty in the automotive industry. Added to this interest in artificial intelligencea segment that has grown significantly over the past two years.