Apple’s long-rumored car could cost less than $100,000 when it’s finally available to buy, according to Bloomberg. But the car may have less ambitious self-driving capabilities than first planned and arrive a year later than originally expected.
While the car had been reported to be a fully autonomous car like prototypes from EV startup Canoo, the current design for the car will have more conventional car features like a steering wheel and pedals, Bloomberg reports. This new version won’t be fully autonomous; instead, users will apparently only be able to activate the self-driving features on highways, closer to driver-assist options like GM’s Super Cruise and Ford’s BlueCruise. (Perhaps Apple is wary of running into the issues Tesla has faced with its Full Self-Driving technology.)
Apple plans to power the car with a technology system codenamed Denali using a processor that’s as powerful as “about four of Apple’s highest-end Mac chips combined,” Bloomberg says. Unlike Tesla, Apple’s self-driving system will rely on lidar and radar sensors; Tesla is shifting away from ultrasonic sensors in favor of cameras.
Apple has also apparently adjusted the car’s cost and release date. Instead of a price north of $120,000, Bloomberg reports that Apple is planning to offer it for less than $100,000, and instead of launching it in 2025, it could launch in 2026.
The pivot is yet another change for the ongoing “Titan” project, which has reportedly changed course many times. Both it and Apple’s rumored mixed reality headset have felt out of reach for years, and while the headset is reportedly going to begin shipping in the back half of 2023, it seems we’ll be waiting much longer for Apple’s car, whatever form it may take.
