Apple sets up secret lab in Germany for first car

Apple’s Project Titan is advancing smoothly, as the company has established a secret research facility in Berlin, Germany. According to the report by Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, a team of automotive experts will work on the tech giant’s first car.

The team, which is made up of about 15 to 20 people, are described as “progressive thinkers” although no names were mentioned. The team will focus on several aspects of the Apple car including engineering, hardware, software and sales plans.

The Apple car is expected to come to market by 2020 as a small city car, initially in rental or car-sharing programmes. This is because the tech company has no dealership network and no service facilities to facilitate private sales of the Apple car.

Additionally, the Apple car will not come to market as a self-driving or partly autonomous vehicle as previously reported. Instead, these features may be added on later. It is possible that the hardware may be installed on the Apple car in preparation for this.

The report also stated that Magna Steyr will build the Apple car. Based in Graz, Austria, the automobile manufacturer builds vehicles for BMW’s MINI brand and Mercedes-Benz, according to the Automotive News Europe. Once the MINI Countryman and Paceman are phased out, the Apple car is expected to fill up the spare production capacity at the company’s plant.

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