We may never see the long-in-development Apple Car, but we may get a closer look at what it might look like.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said in the Power On newsletter that the Apple Car could look similar to the Canoo Lifestyle minivan shown above.
It's certainly an interesting look, but as Gurman reported last week, the project was halted due to Apple's indecision and arrogance, so we'll never see it in action.
“The design of the Apple car circa 2020 was similar to the Canoo lifestyle vehicle, a futuristic van with rounded corners, but with tint-adjustable dark black windows.” Gurman explains, pointing to the full glass sunroof, white exterior and white tires. With black center.
The car is optimized for Level 5 autonomous driving (the highest level of automation) while offering minimal interfaces. One source told Gurman that the car made him feel like he was in a “contoured bubble” and that the car could comfortably accommodate four passengers.
Apple “Breadloaf”
It's been a while since Jony Ive was involved in the Apple design process, but Gurman points out that while a previous vision of the car was called the 'Bread Loaf' due to its similarity to a 1950s Volkswagen Microbus, other versions “looked almost identical in 2017.” . Volkswagen ID Buzz prototype.”
The second is interesting. Although some Apple employees moved to Volkswagen in the mid-2010s, follow-up efforts took shape, to the point where Tim Cook and COO Jeff Williams spoke at the company's test track in Arizona and committed to development in 2020.
When Apple canceled the project, the final major design dropped from level 5 automation to level 2, adding back the steering wheel and pedals.