What do the BMW i3 and Apple’s secret car project have in common? Apparently, the latter may borrow a number of features and components from the German electric compact if and when it gets the greenlight for production.
According to Manager-Magazin, Apple CEO Tim Cook has had talks with BMW president and CEO Norbert Reithofer since 2014 about possibly using the i3 platform. Members of the Apple staff even visited the German manufacturer’s facilities in Leipzig.
Development of what is internally known as “Project Titan” seems to be advancing nicely, and Apple has even been able to recruit high-profile names from the auto industry. The Wall Street Journal reported that Doug Betts, former quality control chief at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and Paul Furgale, an expert on self-driving cars, were recently hired by the tech giant.
Apple is also accused of stealing employees away from battery manufacturer A123. Regardless of how that story unfolds, all signs point to the long-awaited iCar being well in the works.
Will it be fully electric like the BMW i3? A self-driving model like the ones currently being developed by a number of automakers? That remains to be seen. After all, with Apple, anything’s possible.