Dawn of the iCar? Apple said to be secretly working on an electric people-carrier design

Though its latest gadget, the Apple Watch, has not even been released yet, the world’s richest company is reportedly already pouring resources into what would be its most significant project to date: an electric car, according, according to The Independent.

Hundreds of people at Apple are said to be secretly working on a design for an electric people-carrier which has been given the code name “Titan”. So far, the technology firm has declined to comment on the project, but sources close to the company told the Wall Street Journal it wanted to revolutionise electric cars in the same way that the iPhone shook up the smartphone market.

Apple executives have already flown to Austria to meet representatives from the high-end car manufacturer Magna Steyr, and the size of the team involved suggested that the project was a serious proposition, the sources added. Last year the company hired industrial designer Marc

The Titan project was reportedly signed off almost a year ago by Apple’s chief executive Tim Cook, who has assigned vice president of product design, Steve Zadesky, to lead the group. A former Ford engineer, he led the Apple teams that created the iPod and iPhone.

Mr Zadesky was given permission to create a 1,000-person team to work on the car and cherry-pick employees from different parts of the company, the sources said. Many Apple employees who had been considering leaving the company have been persuaded to stay there to work on Titan.