Julie Clover
Apple plans to launch a consumer-facing Apple-branded car by 2026. Its goal is to bring the price down to $100,000 to appeal to a wider range of buyers, according to Bloomberg.
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Apple originally planned to develop a car similar to the Canoo Lifestyle Vehicle in which passengers could stand facing each other in a limousine-style car without a steering wheel or pedals, but the project was cut. The vehicle will now have a more traditional design with a driver's seat, steering wheel and pedals, and full autonomous driving will not be available, but the vehicle will be able to use autonomous driving on motorways.
Canoo interior
Apple's main competitor is likely to be Tesla, a brand offering electric vehicles with some autonomous driving features. Prices for Tesla vehicles start at around $47,000 but can go up to $100,000. If the base price of the Apple Car is around $100,000, it will compete with the more expensive Tesla Model S.
The original plan was to price the Apple Car over $120,000, but Apple is now planning a lower price, likely due to the more limited autonomous driving functionality that will be introduced in the first iteration of the car. Apple has not yet finalized the Apple Car, but plans to have a design by 2023 and a list of ready-to-use features by 2024. Testing will begin in 2025, with a launch scheduled for 2026.
Apple continues to look for a partner to manufacture its car, and while there have been serious negotiations with Volkswagen, these negotiations were many years ago.
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