Apple car rumored to come by 2026, estimated to cost below $100K USD

New information regarding the public-awaited Apple car has recently surfaced. According to Bloomberg, anonymous sources revealed that the car will most likely be priced below $100,000, the catch is that the car will not be revealed until 2026, four years from now.

The report also includes details on what the car may contain technology-wise. The car would be equipped with an advanced driver assistance system, capable of autonomous driving on highways. A combination of LiDar or Light Detection and Ranging and radar sensors would monitor road conditions and facilitate autonomous driving. The brunt of processing all this information would be done by a processor codenamed Denali, reportedly being more powerful than four of Apple’s high-end chips combined. 

Of course, the car would still be equipped with the standard wheel and pedals during non-piloted, normal driving.  As for the car’s looks, Vanarama took the liberty of creating a render of what the Apple car would look like, based on existing patents filed by Apple that can be viewed publicly.

Apple has made every effort to keep their automotive project under wraps. In 2016, the project, named Project Titan, very nearly went to scrap after a series of layoffs and re-assignments of employees away from the project. The New York Times reported that Apple was veering away from building a full-fledged electric vehicle, but will continue to research autonomous driving technologies. A few years later, talk of Apple’s project began once more when regulatory filings for Apple’s autonomous vehicle permits were reported by TechCrunch, with Apple filing 70 permits for such vehicles in 2018.

In 2021, news of the Apple car became headline news once again, when British newspaper the Financial Times reported on an alleged alliance between Apple and Nissan, producers of the Nissan LEAF. This news quickly became quiet however, when Nissan announced through Reuters that they have no involvement in the project.

Later in the same year, Digitimes reported that Apple is in talks with Toyota, the creators of the Toyota Prius in order for production of the vehicle to commence come 2024.

Knowing what we know now, it will be some time before the Apple car becomes a reality, in 2026 we will see what becomes of Apple’s autonomous electric vehicle.