Apple Car Launch Delayed to 2028; to Arrive With Limited Self-Driving Capabilities: Report

Apple has reportedly revised its electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing plans as the company scales back its ambitions for its first car. While the iPhone maker was previously expected to develop and launch a “self-driving” car similar to Tesla vehicles, it will now focus on launching electric vehicles with some connected car features, according to a report. The launch date of its first model is also said to be delayed by another two years as the company faces new challenges.

Citing people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reports that Apple’s project to build its own car, known internally as Titan and T172, began nearly a decade ago, but the car is unlikely to be launched before 2028. Apple’s board of directors is reportedly putting pressure on the company after spending millions on hardware and software development but without a prototype.

Apple has also reportedly scaled back its ambitions for Level 5 (fully automated) self-driving cars – the most advanced form of self-driving envisioned by experts – down to Level 4 (full self-driving) and, ultimately, Level 2+ (partially autonomous). Level 2 is what other automakers like Tesla currently offer with their self-driving capabilities.

This means that if Apple is able to launch its electric car before 2028, the vehicle is expected to offer similar features to Tesla’s Autopilot mode, which requires the driver to stay in the seat and constantly monitor the road so that they can take immediate control of the vehicle.

However, it’s unclear whether Apple can launch its first electric car within the next four years. Although plans to reduce vehicle autonomy have changed, the purported deadline has been pushed back two years to 2028. Meanwhile, Chinese rival Xiaomi launched its first electric car, the SU7 EV, last month. Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun said at a car launch event in December that the company planned to become one of the top five automakers in the world.