Apple Car: Leaked design information reveals it would be a minivan

The Apple Car was once one of the most anticipated Apple products of all time. For a decade, rumors about Apple’s secret electric vehicle project dominated the headlines of technology publications and Apple blogs.

Then, just a few weeks ago, news broke that Apple officially killed the project known as Project Titan. There will be no Apple Car.

NOW, BloombergApple insider Mark Gurman has some very interesting details on what the Apple Car would have looked like. And, reader, it’s not at all what you would have imagined.

Apple was working on a minivan

Try to think about what an electric vehicle made by Apple would have looked like. Do you think of a potential competitor to Tesla? Maybe sleek and sexy sports cars?

You would be wrong.

Apple was working on a minivan, according to a report from BloombergIt’s Gourmet.

The Apple Car went through several design iterations during the decade it was under development, Gurman says. However, each of them is heavily influenced by automakers’ minivan designs over the years.

The initial concept for the Apple Car was created by the company’s iconic designer Jony Ive, who left Apple in 2019. This Apple Car design was dubbed the “Loaf of Bread” internally within the company. business. For what? Because it looked like a “modern incarnation” of the 1950s Volkswagen microbus.

If you’re not familiar with the Volkswagen microbus, also known as the VW Type 2 or VW Camper or Vanagon, you almost certainly know what it looks like. This is the VW van usually depicted as being driven by hippies in the 60s or by touring rock bands of that era. This is the yellow van used in the 2006 film, Little Miss Sunshine, starring Steve Carrell, Abigail Breslin and Toni Collette.

A design inspired by the Volkswagen camper van

Later versions of the Apple Car changed the design somewhat, but the old-school Volkswagen minivan-inspired aesthetic remained.

According to Gurman, the second Apple Car design was “nearly identical” to the 2017 Volkswagen ID Buzz prototype. This EV concept car is also inspired by the VW microbus, but with a more modern design, with a sloping hood. Interestingly, Gurman mentions that this Apple Car design came before Volkswagen announced its 2017 prototype.

Volkswagen ID Buzz 2017 prototype
Credit: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The Apple Car went through some minor changes over the years before landing on its most recent design concept of 2020. According to Gurman, this latest Apple Car design resembled a vehicle from the California-based electric car company, Canoo.

The latest version of the Apple Car resembled the Canoo Lifestyle Vehicle, which Gurman describes as a “futuristic minivan with rounded edges.” Taking a look at the Canoo EV, it certainly looks like something you’d imagine for Apple’s version of a minivan. The front and rear of the vehicle would also be exactly the same, so the Apple car would still feel like it was moving forward.

The Canoo lifestyle vehicle.
Credit: Canoo

One of the final design changes to this version of the Apple Car was swapping the sliding doors commonly found on minivans for gull-wing doors.

As for the interior, Apple opted for a minimalist design emphasizing space for the vehicle’s occupants. It could have included TVs and/or iPads for FaceTime and video playback, a special climate control system that would circulate air through the sides of the vehicle, and a private jet-style reclining seat with swivel front seats.

According to Gurman’s report, Apple executives, including CEO Tim Cook, were big fans of the latest design. But, ultimately, the company decided to pull the plug on the Apple car — and we’re left with these reports of what could have been.