“Like the first time you saw the iPhone”

Now that Hyundai has confirmed they are in talks with Apple, the long-anticipated “Apple Car” is closer than ever! We wanted to imagine what this could actually look like. So, teaming up with Silicon Designer, we created a realistic Apple Car concept.

Inspiration

Taking heavy inspiration from the Tesla Roadster and Porsche Taycan, this concept is created to be something well within the realm of possibilities. We have seen concepts ranging from cars with 360° tires to unique looking tanks, but sticking with design elements from cars that are real, we feel comfortable saying this is not only the most feasible design, but also closest to what Apple will release.

The car’s pricepoint is anyone’s guess, but Apple’s reputation for creating first-rate, costly products will almost certainly be adopted as they approach design of the Apple Car. In this concept, we aimed for a premium look - choosing Apple’s signature “Airpods white” color to wrap the car’s sleek lines.

Our concept car rolls on seven-spoke rims, shown in silver and matte black - colors in line with Apple’s typically limited color selection.

With the lack of design leaks, we accept that our concept design may be entirely inaccurate, but we find it difficult to envision Apple releasing a car that isn’t premium, intuitive, and beautiful.

When will the real Apple Car be released?

According to a report by Reuters, Apple’s goal is to release the car by 2024, but trusted Apple Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says the car isn’t likely to launch until 2025 to 2027.

A car has been years in the making at Apple. Steve Jobs even “kicked the idea around” with Bloomberg reporter Tony Fadell back in 2008. The project has reportedly been dropped and restarted on numerous instances, employing as many as 1000 reported employees at one time. And now, with a steady stream of recent Apple Car-related headlines, including Tesla engineer Doug Field’s defection to Apple, we can be fairly certain the car will be released close to the projected 2024-2027 timeline.

What’s so special about the Apple Car?

Autonomous driving

Apple’s open autonomous testing has been known about for a couple years now. Apple-owned/rented Lexus RX350’s have been spotted rigged with a plethora of sensors as they roam the streets of California. This seems to confirm rumors that Apple’s car will be focused on autonomous driving.

Creating a competent self-driving car is impossible without hoards of data. So, what better way to "covertly” collect data than by slapping various radar sensors onto an unsuspecting vehicle? It’s likely that the car would be capable of autonomous driving at a high level when it launches.

Innovative Battery Tech

The same Reuters report that uncovered Apple’s 2024 release goal also suggested that the car’s battery tech will “radically reduce the cost of batteries and increase the vehicle’s range.” The “monocell” battery design is rumored to enable enhanced battery capacity without increasing battery size. Reuter’s source spoke with great anticipation about the technology claiming it’s “like the first time you saw the iPhone.”

Intuitive software/hardware combo

Overall, we expect something in line with the Apple brand, a product that is intuitive and seamless in its software/hardware integration. We expect Apple’s integration of battery technology, performance, and other car tech to be exciting and well thought out. This is how we formulated our concept.

Typically, it takes years - even decades - to produce an industry-changing car. But, when your organizational net worth exceeds two trillion dollars and you have nearly $200 billion in the bank, this might not be such a difficult feat. Will the release of the Apple Car rival that of the iPhone back in 2007? Time will tell. But, with the potential for the battery innovations alone to have the same groundbreaking excitement as the first iPhone, we’re ecstatic to see Apple enter the automotive industry.

Hudson Labno

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