Apple has reportedly scaled back its automotive ambitions, at least for now. BloombergMark Gurman said the company’s decade-old car program has moved away from planning for fully autonomous vehicles to more Tesla-like electric vehicles. The so-called “Apple Car” is currently expected to launch in 2028, two years after the company’s last reported target date.
The car’s self-driving capabilities have reportedly been downgraded from a Level 5 system (fully automated) to a Level 4 system (fully automated in some cases) and now to a Level 2+ system (partially automated). This means it offers limited self-driving features, such as lane centering and braking/acceleration support, while still requiring the driver’s full attention.
Tesla’s Autopilot is classified as Level 2. Level 2+ is not an official name, but is sometimes used informally to describe a more advanced version of Level 2.
What Apple once envisioned as a car without a steering wheel or pedals — and perhaps a remote command center ready to take over from the driver — now looks more like a Tesla-esque entry into the market.
Bloomberg It said Apple views the internal reduction of the project as “a critical moment.” People familiar with Apple’s plans reportedly believe that delivering a stripped-down version of the car with lowered expectations could determine the success or failure of the entire project. “Either the company is ultimately able to deliver the product with lowered expectations, or top management may seriously reconsider the project’s existence,” Gurman wrote.
Apple has reportedly discussed an updated strategy with potential manufacturing partners in Europe. Bloomberg It says the company still hopes to offer a Level 4 self-driving system at some point, although its debut promises to be a more solid goal.
Bloomberg Describing the meeting that led to Apple’s decision as “crazy,” attendees included CEO Tim Cook, Apple’s board of directors and project leader Kevin Lynch. The latter takes over after the departure of former leader Doug Field in 2021. (Field is a former Tesla engineering chief who now leads Ford’s electric vehicle division.) The board reportedly pushed for leadership on vehicle plans throughout 2023.
After a good start, self-driving cars are not doing well in 2023. Cruise, GM’s robo-taxi unit, laid off 24% of its workforce in December. Earlier, one of the company’s vehicles pinned and dragged a pedestrian who was struck by another vehicle. The fallout was swift, with the California DMV suspending Cruise’s driverless license due to safety concerns. On the bright side, Waymo appears to be doing well. But government standards are the wild card in this equation, and perhaps Apple sees which way the wind is blowing and needs to proceed with caution.
Apple’s Project Titan has been the subject of rumors since at least the mid-2010s. The company spent hundreds of millions of dollars on the program. Gurman said the company works on “powertrains, autonomous driving hardware and software, vehicle interiors and exteriors, and other critical components.” Considering how many times the details of this expensive project have changed, don’t be surprised if they do it again.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-apple-car-apparently-still-exists-could-debut-in-2028-with-reduced-autonomy-203458008.html?src =rss
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