Apple's not-so-secret car is further along than we think, Daimler CEO says
t's no secret that Apple is working on a car. Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently said he thinks the company is serious about building an electric car, and now the CEO of German car company Daimler, Dieter Zetsche, has chimed in to say an Apple Car is further along than we may have thought.
After meeting with about 70 companies in Silicon Valley, Zetsche German newspaper Welt am Sonntag (via Reuters) reported that Zetsche and his company's senior managers believe Apple is making great progress on development of its car, codenamed "Project Titan."
"Our impression was that these companies can do more and know more than we had previously assumed," Zetsch told Welt am Sonntag. "At the same time they have more respect for our achievements than we thought."
Zetsche added that Google, too, is making significant strides in building its own car, though it's public knowledge the company is working on a self-driving car of its own.
Zetsche's optimistic outlook, rather than one filled with fear of Apple and Google eating its lunch overnight, mirrors recent thoughts from other automotive bigwigs.
When asked if thought Apple and Google could build "successful car franchises," Don Butler, Ford's executive director for connected vehicles and services, told TrustedReviews he thinks Apple and Google "can do it."
"We welcome others joining. We welcome the activity that's in the space. We think it's exciting. It's actually change that we are embracing," Butler said.
Not much is known about the so-called Apple Car. Apple reportedly has up to 1,000 employees working on the electric vehicle, which could be autonomous.
While Zetsche's comments suggest the company's project is progressing nicely, all may not be going swimmingly. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that Steve Zadesky, an Apple veteran who has been working on Apple's car project for two years, will be leaving the company. Whether his departure will set back the car's projected 2019 launch date is unclear.
Earlier this month, Apple snatched up three car-related domains (apple.cars, apple.car and apple.auto), adding more fuel to the fire that's moving full steam ahead with a vehicle.
