Initial projections anticipated Apple’s debut electric vehicle with limited self-driving features to hit the market by 2026.
Apple has reportedly modified its plans to build an electric vehicle (EV) as the company scales back its ambitions for its first car. While the iPhone maker was previously expected to develop and launch a ‘driverless’ car similar to Tesla’s vehicles, it will now focus on launching an EV with a few connected car features, according to a report. As the company faces new challenges, the launch date for its first vehicle is also said to be delayed by another two years.
Citing people with knowledge of the project, Bloomberg reports that Apple’s project to build its own car — bearing internal names like Titan and T172 — started nearly a decade ago, but the car is unlikely to be launched before 2028. Apple’s board reportedly pressured the company after millions of dollars were spent in research and development for hardware and software, without a prototype, according to the report.
Apple has also reportedly scaled back its ambitions to launch a self-driving car at Level 5 (Full automation) — the most advanced form of automated driving envisioned by experts — to Level 4 (Fully automated driving) and finally settling on Level 2+ (Partly automated driving). Level 2 is what other carmakers such as Tesla currently offer via its Autopilot feature.
If Apple manages to launch its electric vehicle by 2028, it is expected to offer functionality similar to Tesla’s Autopilot mode. This feature requires drivers to be seated and attentively monitor the road, ready to take control of the vehicle at any moment.
However, the certainty of Apple meeting this deadline remains unclear. The initial target of a 2026 launch has already been delayed by two years to 2028, despite adjustments to reduce the vehicle’s autonomy. In contrast, Chinese competitor Xiaomi unveiled its inaugural electric vehicle, the SU7, last month. Xiaomi’s CEO, Lei Jun, expressed the company’s ambition to become one of the world’s top 5 automakers during the car’s launch event in December.