Apple's i Car Production In 2020?

Apple iSync (From Three Wheels to Four?)

Bloomberg reports that Apple is targeting 2020 to begin producing its electric car.

Special to The Auto Channel
By Angela Swartz
Tech Reporter
Silicon Valley Business Journal

Silicon Valley February 19, 2015; Apple Inc., which the Wall Street Journal said has been working on an electric car, wants its team to begin production of a vehicle as soon as 2020, sources have told Bloomberg.

The project is code-named "Titan" and has an initial design of a vehicle that is similar to a minivan, one source told the Wall Street Journal. CEO Tim Cook approved Titan a year ago and assigned veteran product design Vice President Steve Zadesky to lead the group, people familiar with the matter told the newspaper. Apple has built its empire selling personal electronics like the iPhone — this would represent its first serious foray out of that industry.

Additionally, the car could set the stage for a battle for customers with the likes of Tesla Motors Inc. and General Motors Co., both of which are targeting a 2017 release of an electric vehicle that can go more than 200 miles on a single charge and cost less than $40,000, according to Bloomberg.

Bloomberg notes the timeframe is quite aggressive, as automakers usually spend five to seven years developing a car. Creating something from scratch, as Apple is doing, should take 10 years, Dennis Virag, president of Automotive Consulting Group told Bloomberg. Nissan Motor Co. is also a challenger in the space, while Google Inc. is going another route — developing a driverless car.

For Tesla, the aggressive timeline may mean that the window for the Model 3(its true money making play) could be further tightened.

Reports of Apple's hirings in recent months might support rumors of its electric car ambitions. A lawsuit filed this month claims Apple began around June an "aggressive campaign to poach" employees from the battery maker A123 Systems LLC in a lawsuit against Apple filed this month. Apple hired five people from A123 and has attempted to hire battery experts from companies like LG Chem Ltd, Samsung Electronics Co., Panasonic Corp., Toshiba Corp. and Johnson Controls Inc., according to the lawsuit.

Thanks Freaking News: Here is what they have to say...Interesting how many stories there are about Apple or the Bolt being a Tesla killer. Elon smiling all the way to the bank. What these writers don�t realize is that if another car company builds an electric car so compelling that it puts Tesla out of business then Elon has accomplished what he set out to do. This isn�t about Tesla winning. It�s about converting the world to electric cars. Elon will still be a billionaire selling them batteries and he can focus on his other projects including colonizing Mars. I wonder if Apple is going to get into the rocket business too?