Apple's Titan/iCar EV could be in production by 2020
http://www.themalaymailonline.com/drive/article/tesla-google-apple-silicon-valley-emerges-as-home-of-electric-cars Tesla, Google, Apple — Silicon Valley emerges as home of future cars February 22, 2015 [image http://media.themalaymailonline.com/images/sized/ez/drive_20150115_Google_self-driving_car_840_559_100.jpg ] File picture shows a Google self-driving vehicle parked at the Computer History Museum after a presentation in Mountain View, California. — Reuters pic NEW YORK, Feb 22 — Is the future of the US car industry in Silicon Valley? After Tesla and Google, Apple appears to be readying for a plunge into the industry long rooted far away in the steel belt of the US upper Midwest. According to various media reports, the maker of iPhones and iPads has created a special unit baptised “Titan” with hundreds of staff to begin developing an electric car, with 2020 the target date. Apple remains silent on the project, but the reports were partially backed up by a lawsuit filed against the tech giant. Battery maker 123 Systems has accused Apple of aggressively poaching its staff. But it puts Apple in line with Tesla, the current champion of the electric car, and Google, the online giant that is focused on the self-driving, also-electric Google Car. The Big Three US automakers — General Motors, Ford and Chrysler (now a part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, FCA) — are taking the threat from the Detroit outsiders seriously. “Given the company’s (Apple’s) tremendous capabilities, that is no surprise to anyone,” GM spokesman Dan Flores told AFP. At Chrysler, spokesman Eric Maynes said: “We can’t comment on something we haven’t seen.” Ford too had no comment on Apple’s plans, but the number two automaker recently opened a research centre in Palo Alto, the heart of Silicon Valley, as it looks to the future of self-driving automobiles. Bill Visnic, an analyst at industry specialist Edmunds.com, said that given the seven-year average time frame to develop and bring a car to the mass market, the Detroit giants are not under serious pressure yet. Even with the unexpected success of Tesla, for instance, the company still sold less than 35,000 cars last year in an national market of more than 16 million units. And Tesla’s cars are confined to a very high-end niche market. “Apple is not an immediate threat to the US auto industry. I don’t think you’ll see the volume there, the number of cars won’t really begin to approach anything like Detroit is making right now at any time soon,” said Visnic. Alec Gutierrez, a market analyst at Kelley Blue Book, said Apple’s strength is its role as a “disruptor” in industries, and that the “comprehensive ecosystem” of its popular consumer electronics could be extended to an “Apple car”. Money to spend Apple has the money to put into a new car — some US$180 billion (RM660 billion) in capital built up to invest in new projects. Even so, said Gutierrez, given the costs and competition in the auto industry, “it’s fraught with risk.” “The automotive space is so highly competitive today, and margins in new car sales are extraordinarily thin, which is something Apple is not used to.” “How many companies have totally failed into trying to enter the automotive industry? It’s a tough thing and it’s very expensive,” added Brett Smith, program director at the Center for Automotive Research. He pointed to Tesla continuing to lose money despite its success in marketing its luxury cars with battery systems superior to any offered by Detroit. And the major automakers are all working hard on making more and better hybrid and all-electric vehicles. That sets a high bar for any new entrant, notes Smith. “Does Apple have better technologies than Mercedes or Ford or GM or Toyota to build a car? I really doubt it.” What Apple could bring to the industry is what Google brings: ways to process and use data. Google is focused not on the physical car itself but on the technology that will allow cars to run themselves. Its self-driving vehicles, in the guise of various car models, have already driven hundreds of thousands of miles on California roads in test runs. Apple already has something to offer the industry, notes Visnic. It could become a key supplier of connectivity technology for cars, putting its operating systems up against Google’s Android, already being installed in many car models. “For Apple, they have proven to be phenomenally good at user experience,” Smith told AFP. “The car for them will become another user experience device, and that will differentiate them.” — AFP [© themalaymailonline.com] ... http://auto.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/google-apple-is-silicon-valley-the-future-of-car-industry/46340694 Google, Apple: Is Silicon Valley the future of car industry? AP | 23 February 2015 After Tesla and Google, Apple appears to be readying for a plunge into the industry long rooted far away in the steel belt of the US upper Midwest ... http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2015/02/19/apples-electric-car-could-be-in-production-by-2020.html Apple's electric car could be in production by 2020, report says Feb 19, 2015 Angela Swartz [image http://media.bizj.us/view/img/2093891/appleioscar.png Bloomberg reports that Apple is targeting 2020 to begin producing its electric car ] 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. Apple has significant catch-up to do with 12-year-old Tesla and auto giant General Motors, but its famously vast cash reserves could provide an advantage in the overhead and capital expenditure-heavy car industry. [© bizjournals.com] http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/tech/2015/02/133_173951.html Apple lures Samsung Electronics' next-generation technology experts 2015-02-23 By Kim Yoo-chul ... http://www.smnweekly.com/battery-maker-accuses-apple-for-poaching-employees/16584/ Battery maker A123 Systems accuses Apple for poaching employees By David M. DeMar / February 19, 2015 ... https://en-maktoob.news.yahoo.com/suit-says-apple-poached-electric-battery-maker-staff-194928686--sector.html Suit says Apple 'poached' electric battery maker staff By AFP | Feb 19, 2015 ... http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/19/us-apple-autos-lawsuit-idUSKBN0LN04Y20150219 Apple poaching auto engineers to build battery division: lawsuit By Deepa Seetharaman and Edwin Chan Feb 19, 2015 ... A123 Systems has sued Apple Inc for poaching top engineers to build a large-scale battery division, according to a court filing that offered further evidence that the iPhone maker may be developing a car ... ... http://www.cultofmac.com/312828/new-lawsuit-offers-another-clue-apple-building-electric-car/ A123 lawsuit offers another clue that Apple is building an EV Luke Dormehl Feb 19th 2015 ... http://www.valuewalk.com/2015/02/apple-buy-tesla-not/ Apple Buying Tesla Makes Little Sense By: Vikas Shukla February 18, 2015 ... Tesla cost Elon Musk $3.1 billion to build ... ... http://www.topspeed.com/cars/car-news/is-apple-going-to-buy-tesla-for-75-billion-ar167833.html Is Apple Going To Buy Tesla For $75 Billion? 02.20.2015 by Jonathan Lopez ... http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/blog/techflash/2015/02/apple-tesla-electric-cars-poaching-buy-elon-musk.html Should Apple buy Tesla? 3 points to ponder (Video) Feb 18, 2015 ... http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/2015/0218/Is-a-Google-or-Apple-car-good-for-Detroit Is a Google or Apple car good for Detroit? By Andreas Cremer, Reuters February 18, 2015 ... http://www.cnet.com/au/news/former-gm-ceo-says-apple-would-be-crazy-to-make-cars/ Apple would be crazy to make cars, former GM chief says by Don Reisinger 19 February 2015 ... http://www.motoring.com.au/news/2015/mercedes-benz-dont-build-an-icar-49356 Daimler can’t understand why Apple is icar-maker interested 20 February 2015 ... http://www.businessinsider.com/steve-zadesky-apple-car-profile-2015-2 Meet the guy who's reportedly running the secret Apple car project?Sam Colt and Matt Rosoff Feb. 17, 2015 ... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2957067/Apple-s-mysterious-minivans-caught-camera-Sightings-California-Florida-offer-clues-Titan-project.html Apple's mysterious minivans caught on camera: Sightings in California and Florida offer more clues about the 'Titan' project By Victoria Woollaston 17 February 2015 http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/02/17/25C3B9A900000578-2957067-After_the_first_mysterious_camera_mounted_car_was_spotted_in_Cal-a-8_1424180599724.jpg ... http://www.bayoubuzz.com/us-news/item/830616-apples-top-secret-car-prototype-gets-caught-on-video Apple's top-secret car prototype gets caught on video [2015/02/15] ... The cat is officially out of the bag and the new “Apple van” being tested on the roads in and around Palo Alto, California won't be safe from ... ... http://www.businessinsider.in/Apple-is-not-building-a-top-secret-electric-minivan/articleshow/46268667.cms Apple is not building a top-secret electric minivan Matthew DeBord Feb 17, 2015 ... http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/02/16/apple-wants-to-own-the-dashboard/23519593/ Apple's goal may not be iCar but iDash Jefferson Graham February 17, 2015 http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/823474b6161bb70c893386f1b9b3169e170561bf/c=709-0-1978-954&r=x383&c=540x380/local/-/media/2015/02/16/USATODAY/USATODAY/635597094286624975-Google-ChromeScreenSnapz007.png ... http://www.modernreaders.com/apples-project-titan-ev-has-the-industry-divided-one-step-too-far/20477/ed-jones If Apple’s Project Titan EV Actually Exists, Will Anyone Care? February 21, 2015 By Ed Jones ... Making us want an Apple EV and making it affordable ... good luck with those. 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