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Apple car project
From 2014 until 2024, Apple undertook a research and development effort to develop an electric and self-driving car, codenamed "Project Titan". Apple never openly discussed any of its automotive research, but around 5,000 employees were reported to be working on the project as of 2018.[update] In May 2018, Apple reportedly partnered with Volkswagen to produce an autonomous employee shuttle van based on the T6 Transporter commercial vehicle platform. In August 2018, the BBC reported that Apple had 66 road-registered driverless cars, with 111 drivers registered to operate those cars. In 2020, it was believed that Apple was still working on self-driving related hardware, software and service as a potential product, instead of actual Apple-branded cars. In December 2020, Reuters reported that Apple was planning on a possible launch date of 2024, but analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed it would not be launched before 2025 and might not be launched until 2028 or later.
In February 2024, Apple executives canceled their plans to release the autonomous electric vehicle, instead shifting resources on the project to the company's generative artificial intelligence efforts. The project had reportedly cost the company over $1 billion per year, with other parts of Apple collaborating and spending hundreds of millions of dollars in additional costs. Additionally, over 600 employees were laid off due to the cancellation of the project.
The car project cycled through multiple designs over the years. Teams at Apple outside of the development project were involved in its development. People from the Apple silicon team were heavily involved in the car to design the processor used for its autonomy. At the time of cancellation, the chip was nearly finished, and had the equivalent processing power of four M2 Ultras combined. The microkernel for the car was named "safetyOS".
During the 2008–2010 automotive industry crisis, with car companies nearing collapse, Apple SVP Tony Fadell proposed to Jobs the idea of buying General Motors at a reduced price. The idea was abandoned partly because the company felt that it would be a bad look, and partly because of its focus on the iPhone.
In 2014, with renewed interest in the project, Apple's head of corporate development Adrian Perica met with Elon Musk several times with an interest in acquiring Tesla. Tim Cook, Apple's CEO, shut down these early negotiations, partly due to Apple's CFO (and former GM Europe CFO) Luca Maestri saying how difficult the car business was. Despite the failure, years later, then-hardware chief Dan Riccio and former Ford engineer and iPhone engineer Steve Zadesky returned to Musk to discuss ideas for a collaboration. A few more years later, as Tesla struggled to make its Model 3 sedan, Musk attempted to restart talks with Apple, but said Cook wouldn't meet.
Attempts to partner with Mercedes-Benz advanced somewhat further than those with Tesla. The plan was for Mercedes-Benz to manufacture the car and Apple to also provide Mercedes-Benz its self-driving platform and UI for other cars. Apple pulled out partly because it had confidence that it could successfully manufacture a car themselves, and partly over disagreements over controlling the user's experience and data. The talks lasted for more than a year.
The closest talks came to acquiring a car company were with McLaren. Some executives hoped that Jony Ive would be closer to Apple with that acquisition, following his reduced involvement in the company. BMW and Canoo, among others, were also in exploratory talks for an acquisition. Apple also met with Nissan and BYD Auto. Apple was concerned that integrating an automaker would be a disaster internally. Apple briefly partnered with Magna Steyr, a maker of low-volume vehicles for the project.
In 2018, Apple signed a deal with Volkswagen to make an autonomous shuttle for Apple employees at their new headquarters, Apple Park. Volkswagen's T6 transport vans were to be modified, keeping the chassis and wheels, but with replaced dashboards, seats, and other components. The deal, an interim effort, was shut down by Doug Field, the head of the project, who saw it as a distraction.
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Apple car project
From 2014 until 2024, Apple undertook a research and development effort to develop an electric and self-driving car, codenamed "Project Titan". Apple never openly discussed any of its automotive research, but around 5,000 employees were reported to be working on the project as of 2018.[update] In May 2018, Apple reportedly partnered with Volkswagen to produce an autonomous employee shuttle van based on the T6 Transporter commercial vehicle platform. In August 2018, the BBC reported that Apple had 66 road-registered driverless cars, with 111 drivers registered to operate those cars. In 2020, it was believed that Apple was still working on self-driving related hardware, software and service as a potential product, instead of actual Apple-branded cars. In December 2020, Reuters reported that Apple was planning on a possible launch date of 2024, but analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed it would not be launched before 2025 and might not be launched until 2028 or later.
In February 2024, Apple executives canceled their plans to release the autonomous electric vehicle, instead shifting resources on the project to the company's generative artificial intelligence efforts. The project had reportedly cost the company over $1 billion per year, with other parts of Apple collaborating and spending hundreds of millions of dollars in additional costs. Additionally, over 600 employees were laid off due to the cancellation of the project.
The car project cycled through multiple designs over the years. Teams at Apple outside of the development project were involved in its development. People from the Apple silicon team were heavily involved in the car to design the processor used for its autonomy. At the time of cancellation, the chip was nearly finished, and had the equivalent processing power of four M2 Ultras combined. The microkernel for the car was named "safetyOS".
During the 2008–2010 automotive industry crisis, with car companies nearing collapse, Apple SVP Tony Fadell proposed to Jobs the idea of buying General Motors at a reduced price. The idea was abandoned partly because the company felt that it would be a bad look, and partly because of its focus on the iPhone.
In 2014, with renewed interest in the project, Apple's head of corporate development Adrian Perica met with Elon Musk several times with an interest in acquiring Tesla. Tim Cook, Apple's CEO, shut down these early negotiations, partly due to Apple's CFO (and former GM Europe CFO) Luca Maestri saying how difficult the car business was. Despite the failure, years later, then-hardware chief Dan Riccio and former Ford engineer and iPhone engineer Steve Zadesky returned to Musk to discuss ideas for a collaboration. A few more years later, as Tesla struggled to make its Model 3 sedan, Musk attempted to restart talks with Apple, but said Cook wouldn't meet.
Attempts to partner with Mercedes-Benz advanced somewhat further than those with Tesla. The plan was for Mercedes-Benz to manufacture the car and Apple to also provide Mercedes-Benz its self-driving platform and UI for other cars. Apple pulled out partly because it had confidence that it could successfully manufacture a car themselves, and partly over disagreements over controlling the user's experience and data. The talks lasted for more than a year.
The closest talks came to acquiring a car company were with McLaren. Some executives hoped that Jony Ive would be closer to Apple with that acquisition, following his reduced involvement in the company. BMW and Canoo, among others, were also in exploratory talks for an acquisition. Apple also met with Nissan and BYD Auto. Apple was concerned that integrating an automaker would be a disaster internally. Apple briefly partnered with Magna Steyr, a maker of low-volume vehicles for the project.
In 2018, Apple signed a deal with Volkswagen to make an autonomous shuttle for Apple employees at their new headquarters, Apple Park. Volkswagen's T6 transport vans were to be modified, keeping the chassis and wheels, but with replaced dashboards, seats, and other components. The deal, an interim effort, was shut down by Doug Field, the head of the project, who saw it as a distraction.