Speculation about Apple’s car has been running for years and keeps generating fresh talking points, with the technology giant continuing to retain the services of various automotive specialists and to file a series of significant patents.
Working from those patents, Vanarama - a UK company specialising in leasing - produced a digital sketch of what the widely rumoured (and much longed-for) Apple Car could look like.
Vanarama’s patent-led take on the Apple Car
In Vanarama’s view, the most striking element is the glass canopy that does without the traditional A and B pillars. The company says this idea stems from a patent (number US10309132B1) covering a pillarless vehicle structure.
Even the C-pillar is presented less as a conventional pillar and more like the sort of roll-over hoop seen on 1980s convertibles, while also acting as a mounting point for additional structural pieces in the roof.
Exterior styling: SUV-coupé proportions and Mac Pro-inspired details
On the outside, Vanarama’s designers went with what they describe as the current fashionable shape: an SUV with coupé-like cues, featuring a very high shoulder line and a large glazed area that hints at a bright, airy cabin. More on the interior shortly.
Up front, the concept is immediately defined by a horizontal light signature and a grille pattern that takes inspiration from the Mac Pro.
Apple’s California logo is shown prominently on the nose, centred, and also appears at the rear - where it breaks up the full-width light strip that runs across the entire back end.
Flexible interior with Siri
Inside, there are four seats that can be arranged depending on the situation: all four can face the same direction, or they can be set up facing one another.
Based on the patents Apple has already filed, Vanarama suggests Siri - the familiar voice assistant from Cupertino - would be available, alongside several design touches that echo the iPhone.
According to Vanarama, the centre of the steering wheel would house a touch panel providing direct access to Siri. This would be paired with a touch display spanning the full width of the dashboard, using graphics closely aligned with what we see in Apple’s operating systems.
Under patent EP2581248B1, this panel would be fully configurable and would have no bezel - something supported by the description in patent US20200214148A1.
It is worth noting that this is only Vanarama’s interpretation of what Apple’s car might become, built from the patents registered by the US brand. This remains a purely speculative exercise.
The project has already been restructured several times
Of the more than 1,000 employees who have at various points been assigned to the Apple Car project, several hundred have since left the company - many of them by choice - to join other electric-car manufacturers.
However, when it seemed the programme might have lost momentum, reports resurfaced about the hiring of dozens of employees in 2019, particularly in development and product design, following Apple’s acquisition of US start-up Drive.ai, which specialises in autonomous driving.
It is also worth remembering that the “Apple Car” project was at one stage linked to Hyundai, after rumours emerged that the South Korean manufacturer was in talks to help develop the Apple Car.
At the time, Hyundai said it was in discussions with “several companies” about potential co-operation to develop autonomous cars, without ever confirming the rumours of negotiations with Apple. Not long after, it effectively drew a line under the matter.
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