This Electric Apple Car With ‘iPhone-Style Door Handles’ Is Getting Roasted Online
One outlet referred to the Apple EV concept as a “horrible” mashup of a Tesla Cybertruck and VW Golf.
Rumors of an Apple Car—an all-electric automobile made by the Cupertino-based purveyors of MacBooks and iPhones—have been tossed around for the better part of a decade. But without any concrete updates on the project, UK vehicle leasing company Vanarama has dug into Apple’s patent filings to build a best guess at what an Apple Car might look like.
Four supposed Apple patents are incorporated into the design. A pillarless structure featuring a support-less glass dome increases ease of access. Coach doors, aka “Suicide” doors that hinge at the rear, further facilitate boarding while adding headroom.
Inside, seamless displays across the dash and console erase any bulky edges to create a streamlined cockpit. The fully customizable dash allows drives to choose what’s displayed, be it climate controls, sound monitoring systems, driver info, or infotainment.
Vanarama also took a few liberties not based in patents but existing Apple products. The retractable door handles resemble iPhone volume control buttons, and the frosted white finish harks to the colors first made available on the iPhone 4. The grille also dons the cooling pattern found on the back of Mac desktop units.
These Apple Car renderings are far easier on the eyes than the blob of a minivan that Motor Trend conceived back in 2016, but not everyone is thrilled.
Tom’s Guide called Vanarama’s Apple Car a “horrible” mashup of a Tesla Cybertruck and an 80s-era VW Golf—we’ll throw Vauxhall Astra hot hatch in the hat as well. The tech review outlet took particular issue with the grille, noting that an EV would have no need for such a large cooling vent.
Another Twitter user wrote, “I can say with a very high conviction that this is not what the Apple car will look like, but if it does, then they are f**ked.”
Word on the official Apple Car is hard to come by. Autoevolution reports a debut date as early as 2025, according to sources “close to the matter.”
If and when that happens, it’ll surely shake up the EV industry.
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