Apple Car project hits a roadblock, launch delayed until 2026

Apple Car, the iPhone maker’s ambitious autonomous electric vehicle that has been in development for the past several months, has reportedly been delayed by at least a year to 2026. Apple is said to have scaled back the project, largely because it was too ambitious for the technology that is currently available. So, now, Apple may have dialled back on the technology for its car, delaying the launch further.

According to Bloomberg, Apple’s car project Titan has found it difficult to stay afloat due to successive exits of high-level executives that have failed to bring the company’s vision of a fully autonomous car to fruition. Apple reportedly wants to build a car that can not just run but manage the entire navigation by itself as it would lack a steering wheel or pedals. But building a car that can do without those essential parts is reportedly proving to be unviable.

So, Apple is now taking a slight detour from its plan. It is now planning a less-ambitious design for its first car. In other words, the Apple Car would no longer have a design without a steering wheel or pedals. It would still support autonomous functionalities but only on highways, the report said citing some people privy to the development. These changes have seemingly caused Apple to apply brakes to its project as it navigates the challenges involved.

Apple has never openly talked about the car project, but it has been in development for the past several years. The iPhone maker had reportedly hired top executives from legacy carmakers to spearhead the project but due to several technological complications, many of them left, leaving the project in limbo.

But after things did not turn out in its favour, Apple is now reportedly planning to develop a vehicle that could allow drivers to do other tasks, such as watching a movie or playing a game on a highway, while the car’s autonomous system would take care of driving it. But it would also be adept enough to alert drivers in time enough to switch to manual control to navigate through city streets or handle the vehicle in bad weather. Apple may launch the feature in North America first and then expand it to more markets over time.

Apple Car is one of the most ambitious projects tech companies have ever taken. While Apple’s close rival Google already runs its autonomous car division called Waymo and it might seem like the iPhone maker is pretty late to join the fray, the technological advancements the company may be planning to bring are worth the wait.

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