Apple has been working on its own, all-electric, perhaps fully autonomous car since 2014. Known either as Project Titan or simply the Apple Car, this AV/EV is one of the industry’s best-kept secrets.
This probably explains heightened interest in it, especially following reports that it could be unveiled to the public either as early as 2021 or as late as 2028. Still, even less-than-amazing news is better than no news at all, and people have been going crazy with speculation about what the tech giant could bring to the automotive industry.
Since there’s always someone to capitalize such a surge in interest for their own gain, fake videos of a purported Apple Car concept have started making the rounds (story via The Drive). Posted initially to social media, TikTok and Twitter in particular, they soon made their way across to YouTube, and garnered views by the millions.
With some variations, they all show the same car: a futuristic ride on trackball wheels brakes to a stop in what looks like a relatively empty parking lot, then swivels in place and backs into one of the vacant spots. In some versions of the video, a dude gets out of the car before it neatly parks itself, which would play along with reports that Apple is looking to make Titan fully self-driving.
As it happens, not a single one of these videos is real. Project Titan is one of industry’s best-guarded secrets, and only its existence and name have been officially confirmed until now.
Moreover, the supposed Apple Car concept in the vids is actually a ripoff of the Mercedes-Benz AMG Vision Gran Turismo concept unveiled in 2013 and featured in the Gran Turismo 6 video game for PlayStation 3. Even the trackball wheels seem to have been lifted from Mercedes, more specifically the newer Vision AVTR concept, which is actually able to drive sideways.
So, bummer: there is no Apple Car concept on video out there, not yet, at least. The silver lining would be that these videos and their popularity prove interest in Apple’s car is still very high, despite the company’s decision to keep everyone in the dark.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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