Apple is reportedly making progress with its not-so-secret electric self-driving car initiative. A new report claims the Tech Giant recently hired a supercar manufacturer Lamborghini veteran with 20 years of experience to work on the company’s project.
Luigi Taraborrelli, Apple’s new hire, appears to have left Lamborghini in May 2022, based on his LinkedIn page.
Since beginning his employment with Lamborghini almost twenty years ago, Taraborrelli has led the development of the company’s chassis and vehicle dynamics. He worked on several Lamborghini models during his time there, including the Urus SUV, Huracan Coupé, Performante, and Aventador Coupé.
He also executed to a few limited-edition projects, including the Lamborghini Sterrato.
There are many reports that Apple is looking for a partner to build the car in 2021. Hyundai confirmed that they were in talks, but the deal was canceled because the South Korean automaker did not want to sign a contract with the car company.
Then Apple asked Nissan to manufacture the car. The partnership, however, failed for the same reason the Hyundai agreement did. Apple-branded automobiles weren’t something the Japanese carmaker wanted to produce.
So, the new move, by hiring Taraborrelli, indicates that Apple remains committed to making electric vehicles. Though it showed strong signal of this in the past, but due to a lose of key employees, the self-driving car initiative seems to be experiencing a snailed movement.
Since its debut in 2014, the project has seen many ups and downs. It has been continually delayed, and at one time the size of the team was even halved by Apple.
A major lost was when the company lost its Chief Engineer, Doug Field, who led its special project team that also worked on the Titan car project. Doug Field got hired by Ford in September 2021.
But during the past year, Apple has made a few significant appointments and hires, including choosing Kevin Lynch, one of its top software executives, to lead the project.
Desi Ujkashevic, a longtime Ford employee and most recently the global director of safety engineering, was also employed to join the team in May 2021.
Apple Plans to Produce Self-driving Car in 2024
