By Sam Boughedda
Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) is reportedly scaling back its self-driving car plans and delaying the target launch date by around a year to 2026, according to a Bloomberg report on Tuesday, citing people with knowledge of the matter.
The publication said sources told them the vehicle project, named Titan inside the company, has somewhat stalled in the last several months as executives realized its vision for a fully autonomous vehicle without a steering wheel or pedals isn't achievable with current technology.
As a result, the tech giant is now said to be designing something less ambitious that includes a steering wheel and pedals and only supports full autonomous abilities on highways.
Apple's secretive car project has been ongoing for years, but it is reportedly testing the limits of the iPhone maker's capabilities.
The latest reported move marks another strategy shift for the Apple car team.
Bloomberg said the unit's current leader Kevin Lynch has sought to bring more stability and a focus on practical goals after years of priority changes. Lynch was said to have previously instructed the team working on the car to focus on debuting a fully autonomous vehicle by 2025, but he is now lessening those expectations to ensure that a product actually reaches the market.
Apple shares are down almost 2% Tuesday.