Apple’s famous autonomous car, which has been teased to us for several years, will ultimately always need human assistance. And we will have to wait a little longer to find out.
Who remembers the first announcement of the construction of an autonomous vehicle by Apple? Hard to say ! Most of us just know that the project has been in the Cupertino company’s pipeline for a long time. But if the reversals have been linked over the years, it seems that a model is finally in the line of sight. With, unfortunately, lowered ambitions.
Pedals, a steering wheel and a very limited autonomous mode
According to Bloomberg, the Apple Car should no longer be a self-driving vehicle in any situation. Like the rest of the cars on this planet, it will have a steering wheel and pedals that will be used to handle the hitch in most situations. The autopilot mode will be present, but reserved for driving on the highway.
During these journeys on the high-speed tracks, the autonomy will be such that you will be able to play video games or watch movies. However, even there, there is a limit, since in case of bad weather, the driver will be obliged to regain control of his vehicle.
The American manufacturer therefore remains in the middle of competitors in the autonomous vehicle sector, far from its primary ambition of producing cars without pedals or steering wheel, and where passengers would have faced each other in a limousine configuration.
See you in 2026
This step of withdrawal is not the only one on the part of the Cupertino company. The release of its Apple Car will indeed be delayed, with a launch finally scheduled, if we are to believe Bloombergto 2026. Meanwhile, the design is expected to be finalized in 2023, and the tests will be executed in the year 2025.
However, there is “good news”. While originally this product was to be sold for around 120,000 dollars, Apple finally chose to market its very first automobile at a price below the 100,000 euro mark. Enough to compete with Tesla’s top of the range, the Model S.
Sources: Engadget, MacRumors
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