Apple Car: Hidden runway in the desert is said to be a secret test track

Test drives in the middle of nowhere
“Project Titan”: Apple is supposed to teach its car to drive on this secret track in the Arizona desert

There have been rumors about an Apple car for years. A hidden track in the Arizona desert is to serve as a secret test track.

Apple’s Vision Pro data glasses, which had been the subject of speculation for years, were just introduced (here you can find out how to wear the glasses). Now the rumor mill about the group’s second secret major project is gaining momentum again. A test track in the desert is said to be used secretly by Apple, fueling new speculation about its car plans.

Specifically, it is about a 5500 hectare site in the Arizona desert. For years, Daimler-Chrysler had been testing its cars on the track laid out there. After a failed construction project, the property has been used by a mysterious company since 2015. Journalists from the car portal “Car and Driver” are certain: Behind it is none other than Apple.

Strong evidence

There are only indications of this, but they are strong. During an on-site visit, the journalists photographed cars that are strikingly reminiscent of test cars observed in Silicon Valley. These could also belong to Apple and its “Project Titan” called car.

The connection is even stronger via a plaque attached to the fence of the site from the responsible environmental officers. These not only have the same area code as Apple’s headquarters. The named person responsible, William Lynch, also calls himself Ken Lynch on his mailbox. And a man by that name works for Apple’s environmental department.

open questions

However, the journalists were not able to find out exactly what the owner is testing in Arizona – after all, they did not want to break into the premises. However, the observed Lexus cars with their sensor boxes suggest that technology for self-driving cars is being tinkered with there. However, since the observed cars are already driving on real roads in California, the question arises as to what insights one would hope to gain from additional tests on remote roads, largely without traffic.

In fact, there is much to suggest that Apple needed the site in the early stages of its car concept. The first rumors about “Project Titan” came up around 2015, the property has been leased since 2016. In 2021 it was then sold to the mysterious tenant. Apple itself declined to comment on the site to Car and Driver.

Documents from the California Transportation Authority also show that Apple is still researching the technology. The US state stipulates that tests for autonomous driving must be registered there. According to Mac Reports, Apple has 67 test cars on the road there, employing 197 drivers. For comparison: For Mercedes there are 55 cars on the road.

What is really behind Apple’s “Project Titan”?

Whether Apple actually wants to develop its own car is controversial in the rumor mill. The group usually relies on regularly selling new devices to customers in order to achieve the highest possible margin. Both are rather unusual in the car market. Therefore, some observers argue that it could be more of a technology that is then licensed to other manufacturers.

In fact, that’s not unlikely. With Carplay, Apple has one of the most popular software solutions for cars in its portfolio, and a comprehensive overhaul of the system was announced last summer. The system, which has so far been specialized in media control, should then also have more access to the control of the car itself, replacing instruments and other displays. The first cars with the new system are scheduled to appear this year. It is quite conceivable that Carplay could also control a car itself at some point.

The possibility of working with a car manufacturer also comes up again and again. Instead of building the car from scratch, Apple could then design a special model according to its own ideas. There have been rumors of a collaboration with Hyundai and the subsidiary brand Kia in recent years.

Sources: Car and Driver, Mac reports