Apple announces launch date for secret electric car

Apple Inc. has announced that their electrical and driverless automobile will be launched in 2020, Bloomberg has reported. The Apple car has a team of 200 engineers working on it.

Apple Inc had hired automotive technology and design experts to staff up a top-secret research lab, with the possible intention of building a car, the Financial Times reported recently, citing several people familiar with the iPhone maker.

Apple recently hired the head of Mercedes-Benz's Silicon Valley research and development unit, Johann Jungwirth, according to a LinkedIn profile.

While his title on the site is Head of Mac Systems Engineering, the Financial Times reported he had joined the new research team. (http://on.ft.com/1A4ELi5)

Apple, which like Google Inc is trying to incorporate its software into cars, has recently tried to recruit from the automotive industry, two sources with knowledge of the approaches told Reuters.

The company has been trying to poach experts in fields such as robotics, according to the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press.

"Three months ago I would have said it was CarPlay," FT quoted a person who has worked closely with Apple for many years as saying. "Today I think it's a car," the person said.

The research lab was set up late last year, soon after Apple revealed its forthcoming smart watch and latest iPhones, the daily said.

Last March, Apple unveiled CarPlay, which lets drivers access contacts on their iPhones, make calls or listen to voicemails without taking their hands off the steering wheel.

Along with HomeKit and HealthKit, the idea is to extend Apple's software dominance into industries including home devices, healthcare, and automobiles.