One of the worst secrets in the technology industry is that a large team of Apple employees is working on a car project, internally known as Project Titan. But there is a difference between working on a project and sending a finished product, and the CEO of Volkswagen is the latest voice to express public skepticism about the possibility of an Apple car coming to market.
Reuters reported that Herbert Dice said yesterday: “I’m not sure if Apple will actually bring the car to market in the end. It will be a great effort. “
Diess, who was speaking at the hub.berlin tech conference in Berlin, added that he Was Sure Apple wants to enter the car market towards software, but it’s not the same thing.
Dies certainly have a point. There is a high cost to enter the car industry and it will be difficult for Apple to make real cars without the help of existing car manufacturers. Working with the tech giant is notoriously difficult, and asking an automaker to help build an Apple car is like asking a lot of Turks to vote at Christmas.
It is also important to note, however, that Dice is by no means interested in all of this. In 2021, he stressed that VW is not afraid of the competition that an Apple car will face, but Tesla’s success means that it is well aware of the disruptive potential of the automotive industry technology. Telling the world that Apple is trying to make sure the car industry doesn’t change is one of the ways to reduce morale and convince Apple shareholders that it won’t be a viable way to grow.
And here’s a final tidbit that explains how long Apple Car has been around and how the company has a strange love-hate relationship with carmakers. Earlier in the day, Volkswagen itself had discussed a joint venture with Apple to build a car, but the talks were fruitless. At the time, both companies had separate CEOs; VW was led by Martin Winterkorn, and Apple was led by a man whose name you may have heard of Steve Jobs. Because it happened in 2007.
Perhaps in another 15 years the Apple car will finally become a reality. Or maybe we’ll just stop talking about it in the end. But at the moment, both seem like remote possibilities.