Apple will wind down its team working on electric cars, called Special Projects Group, according to Bloomberg.
The news signals an end to Apple’s secretive effort to build a car to rival Tesla
. The program employed thousands of employees but never fit with Apple’s core business of electronics and online services, and raised questions about where Apple would turn for the manufacturing of a vehicle.
Reports of Apple’s ambition to build a car first surfaced in 2014 after the company recruited automotive engineers and other talent from auto companies. While there was little public information about Apple’s plans, the company operated a program with autonomous Apple-owned cars equipped with sensors and safety drivers cruising around the San Francisco Bay Area.
Apple’s Special Projects Group had several reorganizations over the years, including layoffs in 2019, when employees were moved to different parts of the company. Some Apple employees in the car division may move to a generative artificial intelligence team, according to Bloomberg.
www.cnbc.com/2024/02/27/apple-car-project-canceled-report.html