Talk of Apple launching its own car, one powered by batteries and offering a high level of self-driving capability, dates back all the way to 2014. The car, commonly referred to as Project Titan, remained shrouded in secrecy for the most part, with continual car-related patent applications and the recruitment of professionals from the automotive sector fueling rumors over the years.
Project Titan looks to have finally reached the end of the road, with Bloomberg reporting late last month that the project has been canceled. Furthemore, The New York Times reported at the same time that Apple had spent more than $10 billion on the ill-fated project.
In a follow-up report published this week, Bloomberg detailed some of the designs Apple had for its car. According to the publication's sources, the leading design resembled a van from EV startup Canoo, known as the Lifestyle Vehicle (shown main).
The design allegedly featured identical front and rear ends, much like the Canoo, and was dubbed the Bread Loaf by insiders. An alternative design was reportedly a more conventional van styled similar to the concept that Volkswagen rolled out in 2017 to preview the 2025 ID.Buzz electric van. There were gimmicks, too, like gullwing-style doors, according to Bloomberg's sources.
Volkswagen ID Buzz concept, 2017 Detroit auto show
The design constantly evolved, especially for the interior which would have seated four. The front seats were designed so that they could turn to face the rear in order to create a lounge-like experience. The original interior also lacked a steering wheel and pedals as Apple aimed to deliver true full self-driving capability, according to Bloomberg. However, these were needed for later designs after Apple gave up on attempting to design a car that could drive itself.
In addition to the technological challenges, as well as the cold realities of how challenging it is to build and sell cars, something Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda warned Apple about in 2021, Project Titan was also held back by indecision and disagreement about what direction the project should take, according to Bloomberg.
In 2019, home appliance giant Dyson, best known for its line of bag-less vacuum cleaners, also gave up on launching its own car, despite the project having reached a late stage of development. There have also been multiple companies in the self-driving technology space that have come and gone during the time that Apple was developing its car, like Argo AI and Uber Advanced Technology Group.
