Apple Car may hit the road in less than 3 years, based on Toyota chassis

Last we heard Apple was having some difficulty finding manufacturing partners for Project Titan, their plan to produce an autonomous EV.

Apple was confirmed to be in talks with Korean car companies such as Kia and Hyundai Motors. The car companies would reportedly deliver the basic hardware and manufacturing acumen.

Instead of concentrating on fundamental technology, Apple will reportedly focus more on the styling and infotainment aspect of the vehicle. Apple reportedly plans to “re-imagine a car’s interior for a future in which people ride passively rather than steer,” with their Apple Car team reportedly “filled with dozens” of ex-Tesla hardware and software engineering.

In the end, the talks did not go anywhere, but today Digitimes reports that the project is still alive and that Apple has expanded its net to Japanese car companies, including manufacturing giant Toyota, which is the largest car manufacturer in the world.

The Digitimes report includes a target date for the release of the resulting vehicles. That date, 2024, is a mere 3 years away, though of course, Apple has been working on their side of the project since 2014.

From earlier reports, Apple is looking to manufacturer up to 100,000 Apple cars per year, which is quite a large entrance into what is still a nascent market.

Apple is reportedly also targeting autonomous driving and has its own breakthrough battery technology.

While Apple may appear to be a decade behind a dedicated EV company like Tesla, the company has a reputation for entering and then taking over a market when they feel the time is right.

via Macrumors