Apple is reportedly ending its decade-long endeavor to produce its electric car, sources familiar with the matter informed Bloomberg.
According to the Bloomberg report, nearly 2,000 employees working on the EV team known as the Special Projects Group were informed about the decision by Apple executives Jeff Williams and Kevin Lynch.
The report added that most of the employees who were part of the Special Projects Group will be shifted to Apple’s artificial intelligence division to concentrate on generative AI projects.
As per Bloomberg, several hundred hardware engineers and car designers among them may have the opportunity to apply for other open roles at Apple. However, an undisclosed number of layoffs is also expected.
Recently, Apple announced that its car’s launch date has been delayed to 2028 due to production challenges. Last month, the company reportedly shifted its focus away from the initial plan of developing a fully autonomous vehicle towards a less ambitious design with limited self-driving features.
Bloomberg reported that before discontinuing the project, Apple executives raised concerns about the electric car’s profitability. Apple planned to price the vehicle at approximately $100,000 after spending hundreds of millions of dollars on the project annually.
