On the morning of February 28th, Beijing time, the revelation that Apple had abandoned car manufacturing surprised the technology and automotive circles, and the ten-year dormant car manufacturing plan came to an abrupt end. Interestingly, despite being shocked, most people said it was not surprising.
According to the message, while canceling car manufacturing, Apple is shifting towards generative AI. The industry believes that it is wise for Apple to terminate its car manufacturing plan given the end of the high growth period in the electric vehicle market, as it has missed the best window for new car launches. Turning to artificial intelligence is a relatively familiar race track, and it is the artificial intelligence that will be the focus of the second half of the automotive industry.
Apple has been exposed to have abandoned its car manufacturing plan
On the early morning of February 28th Beijing time (note: afternoon of February 27th Eastern time), according to Apple's whistleblower reporter Mark Gurman, citing insiders, Apple canceled its ten-year electric vehicle plan. According to insiders, Apple's internal disclosure on Tuesday surprised nearly 2000 employees involved in the project. Many employees engaged in automotive research and development will be transferred to the artificial intelligence department. Currently, Apple has not responded to this matter.
Once the news was exposed, the technology and automotive circles paid attention to it one after another. Tesla CEO Elon Musk shared the message on his personal social media account, accompanied by emoticons such as "Salute" and "Smoking", and the insightful comments were interpreted by fans themselves.
Li Xiang, the CEO of Ideal Automobile, clarified his personal attitude. Li Xiang believes that Apple's decision to abandon car manufacturing and focus on artificial intelligence is an absolutely correct strategic choice, and the timing is also appropriate. Li Xiang also shared his views on interacting with fans. In his view, at the strategic level, if a new business can focus on one, it will never do two. The strategic farce, including Evergrande and LeEco, will not happen on Apple.
Compared to Li Xiang's point of view analysis, Lei Jun, the founder, chairman, and CEO of Xiaomi, responded more strongly. "I was very shocked to see this news!" Lei Jun said. Xiaomi's strategy is "a complete ecosystem of people, cars, and homes", and they are well aware of the difficulty of making cars. Three years ago, they still made an extremely firm strategic choice.
The research and development goals of the car manufacturing plan have undergone multiple adjustments
It is understood that Apple's car manufacturing plan began in 2014 and is internally referred to as the "Titan Plan". According to public information, Apple has invested billions of dollars in car manufacturing projects, which at one point involved approximately 5000 people.
Jia Zhichao, the chief observer of the Institute of Pattern Research for automobiles, said in an interview with a reporter from Dahe Finance Cube that Apple's cessation of the "Titan Plan" actually had early signs. According to Jia Zhichao's analysis, Steve Jobs once defined Apple's product genes as "not seeking first, but seeking the best." Therefore, the "Titan Plan" has undergone several changes in leadership, without generating disruptive innovation and eroding public expectations.
Public information shows that Apple has delayed the release of its cars and has adjusted its "Titan Plan" research and development goals multiple times over the past decade. As early as March 2022, renowned Apple analyst Guo Minggui exposed that Apple was wavering internally in its car manufacturing project. In January of this year, Mark Goodman announced that Apple had postponed the release of its first smart car to 2028. As for the research and development goals, Apple has wavered between L4 level autonomous driving and L2+level assisted driving systems.
Despite the failure of the Titan Project, Apple has released CarPlay software in the automotive industry. Car drivers can access iPhone maps and Siri features through CarPlay software. There are reports that CarPlay software is being redesigned to integrate more deeply with vehicle control and entertainment systems.
The automotive market has undergone "changes" over the past decade
The market will not tolerate anyone who hesitates, including Apple.
Looking at the world, China's new energy vehicle market has undergone more than a decade of development and has become the world's largest producer and seller of new energy vehicles for 9 consecutive years. New energy vehicles have become one of the "new three types" of China's foreign trade. Domestic car manufacturers that have emerged from the Chinese market have begun to actively expand into overseas markets, and an increasing number of domestic car brands have emerged in the global car market.
Jia Zhichao and Li Xiang have basically the same viewpoint. Jia Zhichao believes that Apple's decision to stop the Titan Project and switch to artificial intelligence is a very wise one. As a supply chain master, Apple CEO Cook underestimated the complexity of the automotive supply chain. In the past, Apple actively sought the main product line after smartphones, and cars were just one of many attempts.
In Jia Zhichao's view, Apple does not have enough existing technology to empower car manufacturing. Although it has taken ten years to research, it has indeed missed the best window of opportunity for car manufacturing, and persisting in car manufacturing is highly likely to push Apple into a quagmire.
"Now Apple has decided to 'all in AI' in order to fully leverage the previously accumulated advantages of combining software and hardware, and to break away from the increasingly fierce competition in the automotive market and shift towards a more imaginative AI market. This path is more suitable for Apple." Jia Zhichao said that increasing AI investment in AR, VR and other projects will bring new labels to Apple.
