The Apple Car is highly rated by possible buyers before it exists

Posted:
in General Discussion edited September 2022
A survey of new car buyers reports that a quarter would "definitely consider" an Apple Car, including more than 50% of the Tesla owners asked.




Apple has officially not even hinted that it is working on an Apple Car, though the torrent of patents and regulatory-required paperwork it has filed mean it's a serious project. It has been rumored to be in the works since 2014, so before the Apple Watch was first released, but now it's expected to come any time from 2024 onwards.

Perhaps especially since Apple did show off its concept for the future of CarPlay -- long a key feature for new car buyers -- it seems close enough that it's been added to a survey.

The Strategic Vision consultancy reports that for almost three decades it has been surveying new vehicle owners both what cars they would consider, and how they rate the quality of those cars. Each survey includes over 45 cars, including ones not available in the US, and for 2022, it has added the Apple Car to the list.

Strategic Vision's New Vehicle Experience Study reportedly works with over 200,000 new car owners annually.

"Apple is the 3rd highest brand consideration with 26% of customers stating they would 'Definitely Consider' an Apple-branded vehicle in the future," said Alexander Edwards, Strategic Vision president, "just behind Toyota (38%) and Honda (32%), followed by Ford (21%) and Tesla (20%)."

"However, Apple's strength doesn't end here," continued Edwards. "What should be concerning to others is that Apple generates a greater amount of Love than any other automotive company, double that of strong brands like Honda, Toyota,and Tesla."

"For example, over 50% of Tesla owners would 'Definitely Consider' a future Apple vehicle; everyone should be prepared," he said.

Some 34% were more cautious about a vehicle that doesn't exist, choosing to select a "Don't know enough about" option in the survey. However, alongside the 26% of people saying they would definitely consider an Apple Car, 24% gave "I love it" as their Impression of Quality of the car.

"If others don't prepare today for this type of disruption, they may find themselves wondering 'What Happened?', similar to when Tesla entered the market," Christopher Chaney, Strategic Vision senior vice president said. "All the current players in the industry mostly hold their own destiny."

"If they simply stay lulled into spending all their ingenuity chasing electric motors, LED lighting, and flat screens with thousands of apps and every high-tech feature you've never dreamed about," continued Chaney, "Apple may land the moonshot right in their sales backyard."

At least eight years into the development of what's believed to be called Project Titan within Apple, though, there have recently been rumors of management problems.

Read on AppleInsider
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 38
    I was already preferring (and eager) to buy an Apple Car back in 2017, and was forced to buy something else instead. At least I got CarPlay. However now I live in a condo where I can't install an electric power station required for an all-electric car, so I wouldn't be able to own an electric vehicle anymore. You pretty much need your own garage to own an electric car, which leaves out roughly half the population (mostly the poorer half.)
    StrangeDayswatto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 38
    Apple Car is currently 90% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. 
    iqatedo
  • Reply 3 of 38
    netroxnetrox Posts: 1,415member
    Why are they still betting on Apple Car when we have no evidence of it happening? It seems like it's all centered on CarPlay, not the actual car itself. 


    grandact73darkvaderlarryawatto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 38
    mpantonempantone Posts: 2,033member
    JP234 said:
    That doesn't look like virtually every other EV on the market, with that horrid plastic surfboard where the grille used to live?

    What do you want? Steer horns? Pikachu? A mermaid? An oscillating light bar like KITT from Knight Rider? Now that it's 2022, it would have to be a programmable rainbow LED.

    It's obvious that this escapes you but that plastic surfboard cover provides better aerodynamics than the grille in gas powered cars. EVs don't really need that grille since there's no internal combustion engine in the front compartment that needs to be cooled via a radiator.

    That hump in the middle of the passenger cabin? Not necessary for electric vehicles since there's no drive shaft that needs to turn a rear axle.

    I know, I know, it looks weird without an exhaust pipe. Maybe some enterprising company has aftermarket kits that allow consumers to bolt on mock exhaust pipes.

    Anything else you need explained about the differences between electric cars and their fossil fuel-powered antecedents?
    edited September 2022 mwhitebyronlwatto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 38
    mpantonempantone Posts: 2,033member
    netrox said:
    Why are they still betting on Apple Car when we have no evidence of it happening? It seems like it's all centered on CarPlay, not the actual car itself. 

    It's a research firm, they make money selling reports. They probably figured they sell more reports if they included Apple as a survey choice.

    Over the years there have been various rumors about Apple Car prototypes whether it be Project Titan or something else. There were even rumors of Apple executives meeting with automotive industry people.

    We do know from California Department of Vehicle public documents that Apple has operated autonomous driving test vehicles on public streets in the state for many years. Logged mileage and number of vehicles has always been very low compared to others doing similar testing, not enough to lead to the conclusion that they are imminently ready to launch a consumer product.

    Years before the Apple Watch was unveiled there were persistent rumors of Apple testing "wearables" on their Cupertino campus. We've seen one but I doubt that'll be it.

    One thing we have seen is that today's Apple likes own the hardware. They aren't likely just to license out ApplePlay or some autonomous driving OS. They weren't satisfied running iTunes on Motorola ROKR. By creating iPhone, they own the hardware.
    edited September 2022 lolliverwatto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 38
    mpantone said:
    JP234 said:
    That doesn't look like virtually every other EV on the market, with that horrid plastic surfboard where the grille used to live?

    What do you want? Steer horns? Pikachu? A mermaid?

    It's obvious that this escapes you but that plastic surfboard cover provides better aerodynamics than the grille in gas powered cars. EVs don't really need that grille since there's no internal combustion engine in the front compartment that needs to be cooled via a radiator.

    That hump in the middle of the passenger cabin? Not necessary for electric vehicles since there's no drive shaft that needs to turn a rear axle.

    I know, I know, it looks weird without an exhaust pipe. Maybe some enterprising company has aftermarket kits that allow consumers to bolt on mock exhaust pipes.

    Anything else you need explained about the differences between electric cars and their fossil fuel-powered antecedents?
    I’m not sure if you are being insulting, or just showing your agreement by being sarcastic. To my eye, many evs are ugly - I’m looking at you Tesla - with the remainder being mostly drab. This reminds me of the cellphone market when Apple first revealed the iPhone - “PC guys are not going to just figure this out. They’re not going to just walk in.” So we’ll have to see if Apple does enter the market with something extraordinary and “different”. 
    lolliverwatto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 38
    mpantonempantone Posts: 2,033member
    jwdawso said:
    mpantone said:
    JP234 said:
    That doesn't look like virtually every other EV on the market, with that horrid plastic surfboard where the grille used to live?

    What do you want? Steer horns? Pikachu? A mermaid?

    It's obvious that this escapes you but that plastic surfboard cover provides better aerodynamics than the grille in gas powered cars. EVs don't really need that grille since there's no internal combustion engine in the front compartment that needs to be cooled via a radiator.

    That hump in the middle of the passenger cabin? Not necessary for electric vehicles since there's no drive shaft that needs to turn a rear axle.

    I know, I know, it looks weird without an exhaust pipe. Maybe some enterprising company has aftermarket kits that allow consumers to bolt on mock exhaust pipes.

    Anything else you need explained about the differences between electric cars and their fossil fuel-powered antecedents?
    I’m not sure if you are being insulting, or just showing your agreement by being sarcastic. To my eye, many evs are ugly - I’m looking at you Tesla - with the remainder being mostly drab.
    My post wasn't primarily about aesthetics. I pointed out the superior aerodynamic performance of not having a front grille.

    Hell, I think most vehicles are ugly (including my own), regardless of the drivetrain and the engine that powers it, not just EVs.

    For sure every car body is a compromise between many factors: safety regulations, practicality, durability, aerodynamics, manufacturing difficulty, performance, cost, etc. Let's say there's a plastic material that's wonderful for shaping into graceful designs and far easier to work with than steel but it shatters easily at -10 °C or below. Does a manufacturer use it or not?


    edited September 2022 jwdawsomwhitewatto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 38
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    I was already preferring (and eager) to buy an Apple Car back in 2017, and was forced to buy something else instead. At least I got CarPlay. However now I live in a condo where I can't install an electric power station required for an all-electric car, so I wouldn't be able to own an electric vehicle anymore. You pretty much need your own garage to own an electric car, which leaves out roughly half the population (mostly the poorer half.)
    Blathering nonsense. You won’t need a home charger when charging stations are as ubiquitous as gas stations, just like you don’t need a gasoline pump in your garage now. And battery technology will get to the point where it will take minutes, not hours to fully charge your car. Good grief.
    mwhiteramanpfaffwilliamlondon
  • Reply 9 of 38
    Of course people would consider an apple car. 

    It’s a brand built on trust and great experiences over decades. You can’t just creat a marketing campaign to build that. Apple has put in the blood sweat and tears to build such trust. 

    The apple car has been in development for a while. It has seen turmoil and major shifts. For a brand new endeavor, those are good things. It means the there has been discovery, failure, success, and directional shifts based on the new info they uncover in R&D. If this unprecedented move had kept the same
     people, been manufactured quickly, etc. I think we’d just have another Tesla. When it’s ready, the apple car will be special. 

    That’s what apple does and everyone knows that by now. It’s a given that’s the brand people will trust. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 38
    mpantonempantone Posts: 2,033member
    lkrupp said:
    I was already preferring (and eager) to buy an Apple Car back in 2017, and was forced to buy something else instead. At least I got CarPlay. However now I live in a condo where I can't install an electric power station required for an all-electric car, so I wouldn't be able to own an electric vehicle anymore. You pretty much need your own garage to own an electric car, which leaves out roughly half the population (mostly the poorer half.)
    You won’t need a home charger when charging stations are as ubiquitous as gas stations, just like you don’t need a gasoline pump in your garage now. And battery technology will get to the point where it will take minutes, not hours to fully charge your car. Good grief.

    This is correct. Hop on a plane and go to Europe. You'll see electric vehicle charging stations on city streets. Enough for every single vehicle on the road? Of course not. But for sure there will be more each year.

    The charging tech will get better. The batteries will get better. The efficiency of the electric motors and other car systems will get better.

    Way back in the Eighties, many people scoff at those silly kids wearing headphones plugged into a device called a Sony Walkman that would stop working after the batteries died in a few hours. Are we still living that?

    Some people have zero awareness of gradual forward progress. I have family members who say that are happy with their old school ways yet ask me to order Product A from Amazon.com without batting an eyelash. That's fine, they're family, I realize I need to tolerate some of their idiosyncrasies whether they are charming or less so.

    At least here in California, the state has mandated the halt of fossil fuel-only new passenger car sales by 2035. That doesn't mean that in 2036 every single vehicle on California roads will be electric. It does put pressure on places to install more chargers but it doesn't need to happen next week, next month or even next year.

    I've been reading this site for years and reading these electric car/autonomous vehicle threads is always astounding in the ways that many people can't see the forest for the trees. Many aren't even aware that there are commercially licensed autonomous vehicles operating on American roads with even more abroad, let alone electric vehicles.

    A lot of Americans are under the mistaken belief that "we" are the best and if it doesn't exist here, it can't possibly exist anywhere else.
    edited September 2022 sconosciutoOferlolliverwatto_cobraFileMakerFeller
  • Reply 11 of 38
    M68000M68000 Posts: 719member
    I was already preferring (and eager) to buy an Apple Car back in 2017, and was forced to buy something else instead. At least I got CarPlay. However now I live in a condo where I can't install an electric power station required for an all-electric car, so I wouldn't be able to own an electric vehicle anymore. You pretty much need your own garage to own an electric car, which leaves out roughly half the population (mostly the poorer half.)
    Perhaps the hydrogen revolution will happen and you can fill up in 4 to 5 minutes like they are doing today in California at experimental refilling stations open to the public.
    williamlondonlarryawatto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 38
    mpantonempantone Posts: 2,033member
    M68000 said:
    I was already preferring (and eager) to buy an Apple Car back in 2017, and was forced to buy something else instead. At least I got CarPlay. However now I live in a condo where I can't install an electric power station required for an all-electric car, so I wouldn't be able to own an electric vehicle anymore. You pretty much need your own garage to own an electric car, which leaves out roughly half the population (mostly the poorer half.)
    Perhaps the hydrogen revolution will happen and you can fill up in 4 to 5 minutes like they are doing today in California at experimental refilling stations open to the public.
    I live in California and I don't recall ever seeing a single Mirai on the road despite being in Silicon Valley. From what I've read, there are apps and sites that list all of the refueling stations. The real problem that the media doesn't report is that those stations are often out of stock on fuel so the closest refueling station may not help out. Is it worth it driving from station to station because fuel availability is sketchy? At least with electric chargers, there's one fairly close by and you can install one at home if you have the right situation.

    The bigger long term problem with hydrogen is that the cost to build out a useful infrastructure isn't economically feasible for consumer vehicles. You still need real estate for stations, space for different tanks, different trucks to deliver the fuel, drivers, maybe cashiers, etc. For a commercial electric charger, you need to dig a ditch, drop in a couple of conductors and maybe a phone line, fill in the ditch and install a charging station that takes up about as much space as a residential curbside mailbox.

    Today LNG is still hard to find despite the fact that consumer passenger vehicles have existed for over a decade (I'm remembering the Honda model based on the Civic or Accord platform).

    Hydrogen fuel makes a little more sense for fleet operations (like taxi companies, government vehicles, public transits, maybe schoolbuses). There are some hydrogen-powered public buses operated by some of the SF Bay Area transit agencies.

    It might work better in places with high population density like Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong. In fact, Japan and California are the only two markets where the Mirai is marketed. Japan has to investigate alternative fuels because the country is poor on energy resources, almost all fossil fuels are imported. It's important to point out that the Japanese government has incentivized companies to develop fossil fuel alternatives. That's why Toyota built the Mirai.
    edited September 2022 watto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 38
    avon b7avon b7 Posts: 7,625member
    I was already preferring (and eager) to buy an Apple Car back in 2017, and was forced to buy something else instead. At least I got CarPlay. However now I live in a condo where I can't install an electric power station required for an all-electric car, so I wouldn't be able to own an electric vehicle anymore. You pretty much need your own garage to own an electric car, which leaves out roughly half the population (mostly the poorer half.)
    It's curious to see how different places deal with the charging points.

    Where I am, we cannot refuse the installation of a charging point for anyone in the building. They only have to say they want one and then get the company in to handle the installation. The neighbor has to cover all the costs of course.

    There are quite a few free charging points in town too. As well as paid options at petrol stations etc. 
    darkvaderOfer
  • Reply 14 of 38
    M68000M68000 Posts: 719member
    jwdawso said:
    mpantone said:
    JP234 said:
    That doesn't look like virtually every other EV on the market, with that horrid plastic surfboard where the grille used to live?

    What do you want? Steer horns? Pikachu? A mermaid?

    It's obvious that this escapes you but that plastic surfboard cover provides better aerodynamics than the grille in gas powered cars. EVs don't really need that grille since there's no internal combustion engine in the front compartment that needs to be cooled via a radiator.

    That hump in the middle of the passenger cabin? Not necessary for electric vehicles since there's no drive shaft that needs to turn a rear axle.

    I know, I know, it looks weird without an exhaust pipe. Maybe some enterprising company has aftermarket kits that allow consumers to bolt on mock exhaust pipes.

    Anything else you need explained about the differences between electric cars and their fossil fuel-powered antecedents?
    I’m not sure if you are being insulting, or just showing your agreement by being sarcastic. To my eye, many evs are ugly - I’m looking at you Tesla - with the remainder being mostly drab. This reminds me of the cellphone market when Apple first revealed the iPhone - “PC guys are not going to just figure this out. They’re not going to just walk in.” So we’ll have to see if Apple does enter the market with something extraordinary and “different”. 
    Agreed,  the “S” car is the only decent looking vehicle Tesla has ever had.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 15 of 38
    mpantonempantone Posts: 2,033member
    avon b7 said:
    I was already preferring (and eager) to buy an Apple Car back in 2017, and was forced to buy something else instead. At least I got CarPlay. However now I live in a condo where I can't install an electric power station required for an all-electric car, so I wouldn't be able to own an electric vehicle anymore. You pretty much need your own garage to own an electric car, which leaves out roughly half the population (mostly the poorer half.)
    It's curious to see how different places deal with the charging points.

    Where I am, we cannot refuse the installation of a charging point for anyone in the building. They only have to say they want one and then get the company in to handle the installation. The neighbor has to cover all the costs of course.

    There are quite a few free charging points in town too. As well as paid options at petrol stations etc. 
    One thing that happens over time is that the number of free charging points decline as deployment becomes more widespread.

    Places like car parks (parking garages for Yanks) are more useful than petrol stations unless the latter are the fast supercharger variety. Even then I'd rather have a supercharger quick charge my electric car while I'm grocery shopping or watching a movie rather than sitting in my vehicle at the petrol station for 30 minutes.

    One thing that has emerged from publicly available charging stations is the penalty for using the charging station as a parking space. Naturally the vehicle operator pays for the electricity used to charge their vehicle but after the charging is complete, there's often a smaller time-based fee assessed if you don't remove the vehicle in a timely manner. This dissuades people from parking their electric vehicle at a charging station and then going away for a long weekend making the charger unavailable to anyone else.

    I live in a Common Interest Development (CID, a.k.a. "condominium complex") where the property owners own their units but common spaces (like a swimming pool, parking lots, clubhouse, laundry rooms or garages) are managed by a property association, typically hired by the homeowners' association's (HOA) board of directors (which in turn are representative residents elected by other residents). While each unit has its own designated parking space, there is no simple way to get the correct power to each parking stall. The only legal way is to have the HOA create the charging stations and have the entire community share the initial costs. From a cost perspective, it's cheaper to put a group of charging stations together (like ten of them in a row) rather than 2 charging stations in five different locations around the complex since you're only digging one trench instead of five.

    The last time this came up for vote, the residents shot down the proposal since it meant a special assessment (out of pocket) of about $5000 per unit for the one-time buildout costs.

    If you have a single family dwelling entirely on your own real estate, this isn't a big challenge. It's more of an issue in CIDs and places with more stringent regulations. Each jurisdiction handles this differently.

    So while you can have someone install an electric car charger in your building doesn't mean someone elsewhere can do so. Frequently it's a case by case scenario based on what regulations are in effect (which can always change).
    edited September 2022 Oferwatto_cobraFileMakerFeller
  • Reply 16 of 38
    eriamjheriamjh Posts: 1,631member
    netrox said:
    Why are they still betting on Apple Car when we have no evidence of it happening? It seems like it's all centered on CarPlay, not the actual car itself. 


    It's been trying to happen.  Apple has requested suppliers to provide quotes for various typical "car modules".
    We laughed at it.
    Ofer
  • Reply 17 of 38
    It's not clear what the distribution per country of those 200,000. Also, it seems like a small sample since an international count. Stats can be deceiving, has anyone here seen a survey about an Apple car? I sure haven't
  • Reply 18 of 38
    mpantonempantone Posts: 2,033member
    It's not clear what the distribution per country of those 200,000. Also, it seems like a small sample since an international count. Stats can be deceiving, has anyone here seen a survey about an Apple car? I sure haven't
    It's in the first paragraph of the hyperlink to the Strategy Vision website: "most comprehensive survey of new vehicle owners in the US"

    This is a survey of American new car buyers.

    The only AI readers who would have been eligible to see the survey would be those who purchased a new automobile in the USA during the twelve months of the survey study period. And there's nothing that says that every US new car buyer was given the survey, it could have been participating dealerships and excluded some channels like Internet sales or personal car buying services.

    AppleInsider's Q&A forum is pretty low traffic -- both in active users and posts -- these days. I'm not surprised that no one here took the survey.
    edited September 2022 Oferwatto_cobra
  • Reply 19 of 38
    Apple is the best brand in the world.  = superior user experience
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 20 of 38
    mpantonempantone Posts: 2,033member
    JP234 said:
    mpantone said:
    JP234 said:
    That doesn't look like virtually every other EV on the market, with that horrid plastic surfboard where the grille used to live?

    What do you want? Steer horns? Pikachu? A mermaid? An oscillating light bar like KITT from Knight Rider? Now that it's 2022, it would have to be a programmable rainbow LED.

    It's obvious that this escapes you but that plastic surfboard cover provides better aerodynamics than the grille in gas powered cars. EVs don't really need that grille since there's no internal combustion engine in the front compartment that needs to be cooled via a radiator.

    That hump in the middle of the passenger cabin? Not necessary for electric vehicles since there's no drive shaft that needs to turn a rear axle.

    I know, I know, it looks weird without an exhaust pipe. Maybe some enterprising company has aftermarket kits that allow consumers to bolt on mock exhaust pipes.

    Anything else you need explained about the differences between electric cars and their fossil fuel-powered antecedents?
    What do I want? Here, take a look at what CAN be accomplished without that hideous thing instead of a grille. Form and function in synergy:
    Damn, that is one ugly vehicle.

    De gustibus non est disputandum. At least that will never change!

    Maybe someone can come up with an after-market front grille for Teslas. And even bundle it with fake exhaust pipes. Or maybe someone can take a jig saw, hack it up, spray it with chrome paint, and slap it back on.

    Ahahahahahahaha!!!

    edited September 2022 JP234
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