Confirmed: Apple is working on a self-driving car to rival Google
Apple's Project Titan is not only real, but the self-driving car is further developed than previously thought. Documents obtained by The Guardian show that the company is currently looking for secure locations in the San Francisco bay area that could be used to test the vehicle.
The newspaper made a public records act request to unearth correspondence that revealed that the Special Project group from Apple met with representatives from the GoMentum Station. This former naval base is in the process of being transformed into test track for self-driving vehicles.
The Apple Car, iCar, or whatever the vehicle ends up being called, appears to be further along the development track than previously believed. The company seems keen to get some alone time at the GoMentum Station, with Apple engineer Frank Fearon writing: "We would like to get an understanding of timing and availability for the space, and how we would need to coordinate around other parties who would be using [it]."
It has long been rumored that Apple has been beavering away on a self-driving car, but confirmation that the company is actively looking for a testing ground shows that development is well underway -- Apple could be on the verge of testing its first viable prototypes. Rumors of Apple's work have been further fuelled by Tim Cook's meeting with Fiat-Chrysler boss Sergio Marchionne, and Apple's hiring of engineers from automotive companies.
Despite the appearance of correspondence between Apple and the GoMentum Station, the owners of the location remain tight-lipped:
We had to sign a non-disclosure agreement with Apple. We can't tell you anything other than they've come in and they're interested.
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