Apple reportedly began working on its ambitious goal to come up with an electric car almost a decade ago. Right from the beginning, Apple set lofty ambitions for the project, envisioning the company’s car as a fully autonomous vehicle that would feature limousine-like luxurious interiors. Apple’s obvious goal was to come up with something that would be a true rival to Tesla’s past and existing lineup, which continues to be the most popular EV brand in the U.S. and abroad.
What also set Apple’s EV goals apart from other players in the segment was its plan to achieve Level 4 autonomous driving — essentially a fully autonomous car — right from day one. The company even set an internal target for launching the car by at least 2026. However, Apple’s efforts faced challenges right from the start, with the company ending up changing its strategy and leadership several times in the past decade.
The most recent delay, reported as recently as January 2024, concerned the difficulties Apple faced in achieving the desired level of autonomous driving. Daunted by these challenges, Apple had to pare down its expectations of autonomous driving to Level 2+, which is roughly similar to what most Tesla cars offer consumers.
Aside from not reaching the desired level of autonomous driving, senior Apple executives were also concerned about Apple’s EV not generating the same level of profit margins it typically enjoys on consumer electronics products.
