Designing and developing a car is much more difficult than creating mobile devices. Although from the outside it looks like a simple metal object with four wheels and an engine, the technical demands of developing a car are complicated. It’s been almost two years since Tim Cook first spoke about Apple’s electric car. A huge project that would culminate in a short time with cutting-edge technology. However, reality has hit those from Cupertino. The Apple Car is delayed yet again, now to 2026, and it won’t be able to offer the expected autonomous driving either, at least not from the start.
In recent years we have been hearing numerous rumors regarding the first car signed by the block. The time frames ranged from 2024 to 2028, although everyone assumed that the project would be completed by 2025. Now a newly revealed report predicts its debut in a little less than four years, but to make up for the delay it is reported that it will have a completely customized Apple chip that will be able to offer four times the performance of the most advanced chips used by the company. Currently, the famous M2.
Tim Cook claimed that his first electric car would be launched on the market with advanced autonomous driving (we don’t know the level), a goal that is much easier said than created. Engineers have faced continual problems in creating software. Apple has chosen to create its own, although at specific moments in this story there have been rumors of a collaboration with other large manufacturers such as Hyundai, although later they have come to nothing. Project Titan is moving forward, but moving slowly.
In order not to continue delaying the process, Apple seems to have opted for a Solomonic solution. Launch the car in 2026 but without full autonomous driving. This is what the latest report published by Bloomberg details. The autonomous capability will be available at some point in the Apple car’s commercial life, but not from the start. “It is a significant change for the project. The company is now planning less ambitious designs that will include a steering wheel and pedals that will only support fully autonomous driving capabilities on highways,” internal sources have reported to the American media.
To finish off the turn of leaks, the launch prices of the Apple Car are beginning to be rumored. Far from thinking of an affordable cost for many buyers, those from Cupertino estimate that the launch price will be below the $100,000 barrier. That is the objective of the development team, although we cannot take it as a closed figure. Apple hopes to offer different versions and finishes, which means that some versions could reach $120,000. This a hasty estimate considering that they still do not have a definitive design.
The company aims to have a signed and approved design ready by next year and to have many of the specifications defined by the end of 2024. That would mean that the road tests would begin in early 2025, extending more than a year. We insist that these are indicative and not definitive deadlines. Apple has a lot of work to do, including finding a partner to make its car. The list of futures is long and important, but at the moment nothing is confirmed. Foxconn is one of the best places for this since it should not be forgotten that those from Cupertino already work with Foxtronn, the parent company in charge of the production of mobile phones on the block.
