Apple is said to be eyeing up a huge property in California to test out its secretive driverless Apple Car project.
That’s according to a Wall Street Journal report that cites a “top landlord” in the area. Victor Coleman, CEO of Hudson Pacific Properties, reportedly said:
“We’re seeing the Toyotas of the world, the Teslas of the world, BMWs, Mercedes. Ford now is out in the marketplace looking for space. I haven’t even mentioned the 400,000 square feet that Google’s looking to take down and the 800,000 square feet that Apple’s looking to take down for their autonomous cars as well.”
Hudson Pacific is a major landlord in the San Francisco Bay Area, and already rents properties to tech firms like Uber and Square.
Coleman also described driverless vehicle testing facilities as a “hot demand item”, and said that there is a “definitive movement” from Silicon Valley companies in the space.
While most of the firms Coleman mentioned – Toyota, Tesla, BMW, Mercedes, Ford, and Google – have been open about their efforts in the car space, Apple has kept a firm lid on rumours that it has a secret car in development.
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It’s long been speculated that Apple is building an electric vehicle – possibly autonomous – with a view to hit a consumer release by 2019 or 2020.
Unfortunately, Apple has not publicly confirmed any such Apple Car project, so we can’t be sure the vehicle exists, despite mounting evidence to the contrary.
Ford Interview – The Future of Autonomous Cars:
Do you think Apple is really building a vehicle in secret? Let us know in the comments.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
