For the past years, pundits and industry insiders have hailed Apple cars as a serious challenger to Tesla’s dominance. This is interesting if we consider Apple has built no cars yet. And due to the public’s enthusiasm for Apple’s non-existent vehicles, almost every month there is an update on “Apple’s worst-kept secret, the Apple Car.” Apple fans have lauded the so-called “Project Titan” as the coolest thing ever, but auto enthusiasts are growing weary of the company’s self-driving electric car’s frequent delays and lack of clear information. Let’s not forget that the project has been under development since 2014; thus it makes sense that even brand supporters are growing weary of the ongoing delays.
At this point, all we hear about Apple’s fully autonomous cars is further delays, setbacks and more chaos. Plus, it seems like Apple is just trying to take a page from Tesla’s playbook instead of innovating. According to TopSpeed, there are clear indications that the company is developing tech similar to Tesla’s pilot.
“Apple Inc. has scaled back ambitious self-driving plans for its future electric vehicle and postponed the car’s target launch date by about a year to 2026, according to people with knowledge of the matter,” says Bloomberg. “The car project, dubbed Titan inside the company, has been in limbo for the past several months as Apple executives grappled with the reality that its vision for a fully autonomous vehicle — without a steering wheel or pedals — isn’t feasible with current technology.”
For all the Apple fans out there, here’s why Apple has postponed until 2026 its long-rumored autonomous car and why the company’s original vehicle will be far less impressive than Tesla.
This Is Why Apple’s Autonomous Car Is Likely To Get Delayed Until 2026
According to various sources, Apple is struggling to keep its team in place as many Project Titan executives have jumped ship. The Sun reports that Doug Field, who was Apple’s VP of Special Products, left Apple for Ford, where they appointed him Chief Advanced Technology and Embedded Systems Officer. At the same time, BGR suggested that other Project Titan team members have also left. And in March, Ming-Chi Kou, a tech analyst, tweeted “The Apple Car project team has been dissolved for some time. The reorganization within the next three to six months is necessary to achieve the goal of mass production by 2025.”
Apart from leadership changes and missing the right team members, Apple seems to struggle even with its vision for the long-awaited car. For instance, the idea of a fully autonomous vehicle seems to belong to the past; thus, the Apple car will have the conventional steering wheel and pedals. Without a doubt, consumers and Apple enthusiasts would expect more from a tech leader like Apple who has become an icon of innovation, but it seems that developing a fully autonomous vehicle is a project too big and too futuristic even for Tim Cook’s company.
This Is Why Tesla Will Continue To Dominate The Market
There are various voices out there that insist that the “Apple Car can be a success without a wow factor.” One of these voices is, naturally, AppleInsider, who argues that even if the much anticipated car won’t be as fancy as customers expect, it could still be a great success.
“As long as Apple keeps the price of each vehicle under $100,000 (possibly closer to $50,000) and pushes the convenience of driving and maintenance as the main selling points, the company has a chance to make a serious dent in the automotive market,” says AppleInsider.
If Apple starts right from the premise that its product is “good enough” but far from remarkable and Apple purists assume a relatively ordinary product will satisfy customers, both groups are misreading the market. Despite its flaws and consumer scandals, Tesla remains a dominant player in the automotive sector because of its disruptive and industry-altering innovations. But make no mistake, as soon as Tesla stops investing in its hardware architecture or stops pushing the boundaries of innovation, consumers will move on to the next best brand. So, why would Apple think it can keep up with Tesla, BYD or NIO when all it intends to present is a rather dull and overpriced EV?
For $100,000 or even $50,000, consumers expect and demand far more than just a brand name plastered on an electric vehicle. Let’s not forget that the 2022 Lucid Air has a MSRP of $87,400 and the stunning 2022 Porsche Taycan has a MSRP of $82,700, so for $100,000 consumers should demand more than “the convenience of driving.”
As long as Tesla keeps making investments in its charging infrastructure, software and next-gen batteries, while also expanding its vehicle lineup, Elon Musk’s company will maintain its leading position in the market. Meanwhile, Apple will struggle to catch up.
Sources: TopSpeed, Bloomberg, The Sun, BGR, AppleInsider
