The hypothetical Apple Car is once again drawing attention as reports of its secret German car lab broke out. Research on the tech giant's never-before-created product are allegedly ongoing at the site.
The information comes from German source Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, which points that the lab is situated in the middle of Berlin. According to the outlet, the facility has already employed at least 15 "top class" professionals from the country's automotive industry. They are said to be "progressive thinkers" specializing in engineering, software, hardware and sales. The first cars, reportedly, will be electric but not equipped with self-driving ability.
Rumors surrounding an Apple Car and/or iCar have been making rounds in the Internet grapevine for the longest time, but the Cupertino giant remains mum over the matter. Designers have rendered countless concepts, and the public is certainly hyped to see what Tim Cook and his team could offer in the automobile arena.
The recent report pegs that Apple will be working alongside German manufacturer Magna. In a statement last year, the supplier's CEO Don Walker said (via Autoblog), "We are, in my opinion, the best contract manufacturer in the world. [With] our ability to do small-volume niche vehicle production and help with the engineering and the launch and the procurement... We'd be a logical person for anybody if they have small volume or [are] a new entrant coming out."
When it's about the alleged Apple Car, followers would remember the Wall Street Journal's report on "Project Titan." At the time, the project was said to have hundreds of employees working on an electric vehicle, brewing at Sunnyvale in California. The expected automobile has since been purported to rival Tesla.
The rumored vehicle is touted to begin production in 2019 or 2020, as per FAZ. Speculations on the car's release date are seemingly alike, with Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster previously pointing a 2021 launch.
Last month, he told Apple Car Fans that the company has "an advantage of showing it early" and that it will most likely be priced "about $75,000." But as nothing has been confirmed to date, it is best to take these details with a healthy pinch of salt.
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