The Vegas Voice 4-21

Delicious or Delirious?
By: BJ Killeen / Down the Road
Hard to imagine that in the 123-year
history of the automobile, over 1,500 car
companies have come and gone. Sometimes just
having a great idea for a vehicle doesn’t
mean it will be successful.
Today, there are about 250 vehicle
manufacturers worldwide, and that
includes cars, busses, and trucks. The
costs associated with building vehicles
is astronomical, when you consider the
millions spent on research, development,
marketing, safety, testing, and more.
Many have tried; few have succeeded.
You need a big bankroll and an even
bigger ego to believe you can bring one to market.
There’s no question that Apple meets those two requirements;
however, even with the Midas touch the company has, can it build a car
that people will buy? Do you want to drive an iCar?
Rumors have been circulating for years that Apple will have a vehicle
on the road by 2024. It’s called Project Titan, and Apple’s goal is to
bring a self-driving EV to market for the masses.
Can Apple do it alone? We know it attempted to partner with Hyundai
and Kia, but that fell through recently.
Perhaps it can pair up with smaller companies. Apple may have
grand ambitions, but it also will need myriad resources, like testing
facilities, manufacturing plants, suppliers and more to turn the dream
into reality.
Who knows what Apple’s underlying
reasons are for building cars, unless it’s
about doing it on a subscription basis. But
we’ve seen the rise - and fall of most of the
subscription services from Cadillac, Audi,
BMW, and Mercedes-Benz.
If Apple is going that route, it will be
interesting to see how it could make a
similar program work. Another rumor
is that there are 5,000 Apple employees
working on Project Titan, and Apple has successfully recruited top
talent from other manufacturers to help make it a reality.
Bottom line: Can a company that makes phones and computers
really build a car? How much will it cost and, most important, will it
come with a free iPhone?
We will keep you posted with any new developments.
BJ Killeen has been an automotive journalist for over 30 years.
She welcomes all questions and inquiries, and can be reached at
bjkdtr@gmail.com
26
April 2021