Apple has canceled its major Apple car project in favor of something else
- Apple spent nearly a decade and over nine figures on the Apple Car project
- The company even filed patents and trademarks
- However, they ultimately decided to cancel the project
Published on Feb 28, 2024 at 1:23 PM (UTC+4)
by Alessandro Renesis
Last updated on Feb 28, 2024 at 8:44 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Adam Gray
After spending years and billions on it, Apple has decided to scrap its self-driving Apple car project.
As you can imagine, they did it because they want to focus on something else.
And that’s the *something else* everyone in the world is obsessed with right now.
READ MORE: Artificial Intelligence can now help you park your BMW without you being in it
In theory, Apple never officially announced they were working on a car.
However, the first hint came when the Cupertino giant started spending tens of billions on car-related R&D.
Elon Musk summed it quite nicely in an interview with the BBC.
“It’s [like] an open secret and it’s pretty obvious [that Apple wants to make a car]. It’s pretty hard to hide something if you hire over a thousand engineers to do it,” Musk said.
What’s crazy is the interview took place eight years ago, in 2016, which means Apple spent nearly a decade working on a project it then decided to scrap.
The tech company also spent years testing different cars made by other manufacturers, and even contemplated partnering up with another automaker to build the car.
They also filed a bunch of trademarks and patents for it.
However, they’ve now decided to scrap it.
In a recent board meeting, Tim Cook allegedly said the Apple car, codenamed Project Titan and Project 172, would be delayed.
And then, just a few weeks later, during yet another meeting, he said the project will be scrapped altogether.
In both cases, the meeting was private but somebody ‘leaked’ the information to Bloomberg.
The same person, who remains anonymous, said the main reason why Apple decided to cancel its plan to build a car is AI.
Artificial Intelligence is all the rage at the minute, from Elon Musk’s new company to the omnipresent chatbots from OpenAI, Google and Microsoft – but Apple has been taking it slow when it comes to AI.
This is probably because Apple, especially under Tim Cook, doesn’t generally care to be the first, they aim to be the best.
Or, more accurately, the best when it comes to providing the most seamless experience.
Presumably that’s what they’re working on with AI.
The images for this article were created using AI.
Alessandro is an automotive journalist with 10 years of experience covering supercars, automotive history, emerging vehicle technology, and luxury transportation. He wrote the first article published on SupercarBlondie.com when the website launched in 2022 and has since built a reputation for insightful reporting across the automotive and transportation industries. His expertise is grounded in hands-on experience. Alessandro has driven every Tesla model ever produced, from the original Roadster to the Cybertruck, and regularly covers the latest developments in electric vehicles and automotive innovation. His passion for transportation extends beyond cars, he has even flown a Boeing 787 Dreamliner simulator in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. His reporting spans everything from classic American muscle cars and rare automotive discoveries to luxury yachts, private aircraft, high-end watches, and cutting-edge vehicle technology. Known for his deep knowledge of automotive history and ability to uncover the stories behind iconic vehicles, Alessandro brings readers a blend of historical context, technical expertise, and first-hand experience.
