In the last few days I have learned more about the Apple Car than in the last few years since it is rumored that the American manufacturer of electronic devices is working on this project codenamed “Titan”. The latest information comes from Business Insider, which revealed that Apple recently made an important commitment to the development of its electric car: Dr. Manfred Harrer, vice president of Porsche’s Chassis Development department at the Taycan project.
Apple Car will be designed by the person responsible for Porsche Taycan as well
It seems that Apple is trying to find partners with experience in the development of electric cars. The Hyundai E-GMP platform, on which the car will be developed if the two companies reach an agreement, is already on the market, so it is something proven. Now, Apple is hiring one of the key people who worked on Porsche’s first electric car, Taycan, which developed the car’s chassis in particular, something the E-GMP platform doesn’t include.
Dr. Manfred Harrer not only has experience in the development of electric cars, but is also one of the world’s leading specialists in steering systems for modern cars. He has experience in car development after several years in the Audi and BMW development teams before Porsche.
Somehow Apple is trying to jump a few steps in the development of cars, which other companies like Tesla had to go through. Apple will have no factories of its own and no proprietary technology for electric cars. However, the company will enter the market as a “manufacturer”. The Kia plant in Georgia, USA, could initially produce 100,000 cars a year, with production that could increase over time to 400,000. To put these figures in perspective, Tesla currently produces about 130,000 cars a quarter, with sales of 500,000 units a year, 18 years after Elon Musk founded the company and 12 years since the launch of the Tesla Roadster.
