Apple is reportedly running a hush-hush car lab in Berlin, employing 15-20 people to work on cars of the future.
Rumors about Apple's so-called Project Titan have been making rounds for quite some time now, and it seems that Apple is making progress with its car plans. The company's automotive initiative is apparently moving on to the next level, with experts in various fields currently working to imagine and realize Apple's future cars.
The latest information comes from German publication Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, a.k.a. F.A.Z. (via Apple Insider). According to F.A.Z., 15 to 20 "top-class" professionals from the country's automotive industry are busy working at Apple's new Berlin car lab.
The report doesn't mention any names for those employees but mentions that they're young "progressive thinkers" with diverse backgrounds covering software, engineering, hardware and sales.
Their managers at traditional automotive companies reportedly held them back, but these professionals are now working at Apple's lab like they would at an incubator for envisioning the cars of the future. The top-class employees are reportedly mulling potential partnerships for manufacturing as well as trying to anticipate any sales concerns and governmental issues that might arise in the country.
F.A.Z. bolsters claim that the first vehicle Apple makes will be electric but notes that its first versions will not include self-driving capabilities. Apple is not done developing computer-assisted technology, which is why initial versions of its first vehicle will not be autonomous.
At the same time, Apple is reportedly considering a business model similar to BMW's DriveNow electric vehicle sharing service, which recently got suspended in San Francisco over parking regulations.
When it comes to final manufacturing, Apple will allegedly strike a deal with the Austrian branch of Magna Steyr. This claim echoes earlier rumors from 2015, when news of an Apple Car first came to light.
Apple has yet to confirm or provide any official comment in regards to its car plans, so it all remains in the rumor state for now. As always in such cases, it is highly advisable to take all leaks, rumors and reports with a healthy dose of skepticism.
