You could say the idea for an Apple Car was baked into the company’s DNA from the very beginning. Back in 2008, not long after unveiling the revolutionary iPhone, Steve Jobs reportedly broached the idea of Apple taking over a car company like GM. Though it seemed like an outlandish concept at the time, the visionary co-founder clearly saw the automobile as the next frontier for Silicon Valley’s disruptive technologies.
Six years later, the first concrete steps towards an “iCar” began with Project Titan. Rumor has it Apple even explored acquiring Tesla outright, before Tim Cook eventually nixed that plan. What followed were years of technical hurdles, corporate indecision, and well over $1 billion per year poured into R&D for a vehicle Apple could never quite steer in the right direction.
An Electric, Autonomous iCar Concept Apple Car Project
So what exactly was Apple envisioning? Based on leaked details, the company had designs for an all-electric autonomous vehicle with sleek, futuristic styling. One prototype even looked like a cross between a Canoo EV and a private jet, with sliding doors, auto-tinting windows, and ultra-luxurious seating. There would be immense iPad-like touchscreens, video game-style driving controls as a backup, and even the ability for Apple to remotely pilot the vehicle if the self-driving system failed.
Alas, the technical challenges proved too daunting, from developing reliable self-driving AI to perfecting new manufacturing techniques like aluminum chassis construction. Combined with leadership’s waning confidence in the project, the Apple Car was eventually redirected into building self-driving software rather than a whole new vehicle. An automotive revolution briefly dreamed up in Cupertino, but one that would never actually leave the driveway.