Apple has changed its strategy for launching its own self-driving car: plans are no longer so ambitious
After almost a decade of efforts to create a car, Apple has chosen a new path. Now it is expected that its future car will appear no earlier than 2028 and will have only partial autopilot.
As of the end of 2022, the Cupertino-based company was aiming to release its first car with advanced autonomous driving features by 2026. Now, a new strategy has been chosen, which suggests that the car will be an electric car with limited autopilot capabilities and will appear two years later, Bloomberg writes.
Previously, it was planned that the electric car would use Level 4 autonomy technology, in which the car operates completely independently under certain conditions, or even Level 5, in which the vehicle can go anywhere under any circumstances.
Now, having realized that it will not be able to complete such a vehicle in the foreseeable future, Apple is developing something much simpler with basic driver assistance features. According to the publication’s sources, the new plan stipulates that the car will use the so-called Level 2+ system, similar to the autopilot function on Tesla electric vehicles, and the level of autonomy will gradually increase after the release of the debut electric car. This strategy was arrived at after discussions with potential manufacturing partners in Europe.
Within the company, the current changes are seen as a key moment for the project. Then Apple will either consider terminating the project or releasing a product with much lower expectations.
In addition, it is reported that Apple is likely to consider changes in team management. Currently, the project is led by Kevin Lynch, who also oversees the development of smartwatch software, and a number of employees who previously worked for Ford, Porsche, and Lamborghini.
As a reminder, Apple’s alleged attempts to create its own car have been known since 2014. The secret project was launched under the code names Titan and T172. Over the past decade, the development has been led by different people, and the strategy has undergone dramatic changes. Apple is not the first tech giant to seek success in the automotive market. The day before, the Chinese brand Xiaomi presented its first electric car.
