Apple iCar ‘Titan’ Release Date: GM & Tesla Rival Expected in 2020

The production of Apple's first electric car is expected to kick off in 2020, Bloomberg reported.

Speculations over the company's automobile debut have become rampant just recently, when "several hundred" employees reportedly started working on the project.

Temporarily dubbed as "Titan," the alleged iCar is an all-electric minivan purported to rival GM, Nissan and Tesla.

Should the Cupertino giant begin production in the said year, it arrives later than electric vehicles (EV) coming from GM and Tesla. As told by Bloomberg, both companies are already aiming a 2017 release.

Nevertheless, Apple's branding could be its strongest asset to keep the hype up. Barclays' Ben Reitzes and Brian Johnson thought of its impact on Tesla saying, "From our standpoint, Apple would have some advantages as a new entrant to the auto industry."

"Apple's brand - arguably the most important advantage - is a big attraction for the next generation of car customers," the analysts said.

Word along the grapevine tells that Apple has already formed a 1,000-person team set to work on the self-driving car, the PCMag wrote. The source also took note of earlier claims, which spoke of the company's alleged meetings with European automobile suppliers.

Apple's aggressiveness in recruiting top-of-the-line personnel from other car companies has also been stated in our previous report. As it turns out, Tesla is the apple of Apple's eyes.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk expressed, "Apple tries very hard to recruit from Tesla... But so far they've actually recruited very few people."

This week, EV battery-maker A123 Systems has filed a lawsuit against Apple, Reuters noted. The former accused the iPhone-maker of poaching its top engineers, all for the creation of a large battery division. This is suggestive of the company's attempt to solidify components of the iCar.

However, with Apple keeping mum on details, all these things are best taken with a pinch of salt.

How innovative "Titan" becomes is a matter only Apple can answer. If the reports hold absolute truth, Tim Cook and his team could lead the future of transportation technology, considering the existence of CarPlay. The feature is currently compatible with the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c and iPhone 5.

But then again, Google's Android Auto could only get better through Android M. The new operating system, apparently, is believed to be crafted specially for automobiles.

On a more believable scale, Apple could be strengthening the Apple Maps, as evidenced by the presence of camera and sensor-equipped minivans running the roads of New York and California earlier this month.