Lore has it that Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) is no longer pursuing the building of its own branded car. This consensus came to be through a sequence of events, where:
- First, Apple started developing its own car under Project Titan as far back as 2014.
- But then decided to refocus on self-driving tech and reduced the focus of the car project to just that aspect. Along with this refocusing came a restructuring of the team. The team had reached as many as 1,000 employees, before hundreds were shed during the restructuring.
- Finally, in becoming with its narrower focus, Apple partnered with Volkswagen (VLKAY) (OTCPK:VLKAF) to build an autonomous shuttle for its own employees.
The above all sounds consistent. However, I'm going to provide evidence I think shows that:
- An Apple car is likely coming.
- And that it might be coming soon (by 2020), and how.
Is An Apple Car Coming? – The Evidence
There are a couple of strong reasons to believe Apple is developing a car, and not just self-driving or driver assistance features.
These reasons mostly stem from a recent development. In the context of potential IP theft, the FBI detained an ex-Apple employee just as he was about to board a flight to China. The FBI filed a criminal complaint in this case. That criminal complaint contains data which directly leads us to believe Apple is hard at work developing a car.
That said,
First Piece Of Evidence – The Team's Sheer Size
Within the criminal complaint cited above, we get to know that:
- 5,000 Apple employees are disclosed on the project. That is, they know the project exists, and details about it. They can only talk about this project to other disclosed employees.
- Most importantly, 2,700 Apple employees have access to the project’s databases. Most
