The rumor mill refuses to give up on the idea that Apple is building an electric car. “Project Titan” has been humming along for quite some, and it appears Apple is not ready to give up on those same aspirations, either. Indeed, the company has recently landed a pretty big hire to help make it a reality one day.
Apple has hired a veteran of the electric automotive business to move onto its own electric car team, according to a report from Bloomberg. That new hire is Ulrich Kranz, who has worked with BMW in the past, and co-founded a company specifically built around launching an electric vehicle.
Kranz co-founded, and recently left the role of CEO, of a company called Canoo. That’s an EV startup, and it’s a company that a lot of people are watching due to its own electric automobile coming down the pipe. And before leading the charge at Canoo, Kranz worked at BMW as an executive who helped launch that auto manufacturer’s all-electric i3 hatchback.
Kranz also helped launch BMW’s hybrid sports car, the i8. Kranz will be answering to Doug Field, who is currently running the day-to-day efforts within Project Titan. However, what, exactly, Kranz’s role is remains unknown.
If the Canoo name sounds familiar, as it relates to Apple, that’s because there was a report earlier this year that said Apple had met with the company in an effort to work with Canoo’s EV platform. Apple reportedly wanted an outright acquisition of Canoo, while Canoo was hoping to simply get an injection of money through a large investment. As a result, those talks ultimately fell apart.
What Project Titan actually looks like now is anyone’s guess. The team has changed quite a bit over the years. What’s more, the goal has changed, too. There was a point where it was expected Apple’s electric car ambitions had transformed to developing autonomous technology that could be used in other cars. Not an Apple-branded one. However, at this stage, the expectation is back that Apple is working on its first automobile, and that it may be shown off by the company within the next five years.
Kranz will certainly help Apple get there, that’s for sure. Are you looking forward to the day when Apple unveils its first car?