NEW YORK: Apple Inc has started lab work on the creation of an Apple-branded electric car according to latest report. The project has designed a vehicle that looks like a minivan. It would take years to finish the project, and it is not certain if Apple will eventually build a car.
The news signals that Apple is sharply raising its ambitions for automotive technology, which has become a prime area of interest for Silicon Valley companies ranging from Google Inc to ride-sharing firm Uber to electric car-maker Tesla Motors Inc.
The connected car, or vehicles with a full range of Internet and software services beyond mere navigation and communications, is considered one of the ripest areas for expansion for technology companies.
Last March, Apple unveiled CarPlay, which lets drivers access contacts on their iPhones, make calls or listen to voicemails without taking their hands off the steering wheel.
Now, the head of Mercedes-Benz’s Silicon Valley research and development unit, Johann Jungwirth, has defected to Apple, according to a LinkedIn profile, which said his title was head of Mac Systems Engineering.
Apple did not respond to a request for comment.
The research lab was set up late last year, soon after Apple revealed its forthcoming smart watch and latest iPhones.
The Wall Street Journal said that the Apple project, code-named “Titan,” employed several hundred people working a few miles from Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, California.
Apple executives have met with contract manufacturers including Magna Steyr, a unit of Magna International Inc. A Magna spokeswoman declined to comment.
Google is working on plans for a self-driving car, but that is not part of Apple’s plan, the Journal said.
Trying to design and build an actual car would mark a change for the iPhone maker, which researches and discards plenty of projects but has so far mainly stuck to its core expertise in mobile and electronic devices.
