Akira Yoshino Predicts Apple Car Will Launch Next Year

Apple Car is still in development stage. (photo: twitter)

JAKARTA - While talking to Reuters about the future of self-driving cars, Nobel Prize winner Akira Yoshino revealed that he expects Apple to lead the next generation of electric vehicle batteries.

According to Yoshino, he predicts the tech giant will soon announce the Apple Car next year.

“Tesla has their own independent strategy. The one to look out for is Apple", Yoshino told Reuters. "What will they do? I think they might announce something soon. What type of car will they announce? What kind of battery? They might want to come in around 2025. If they do that, I think they should announce something by the end of this year. It's just my own personal hypothesis".

Apple has reportedly been working on self-driving cars since 2014 when nearly 1,000 auto experts and engineers began developing electric vehicles codenamed "Project Titan".

Earlier this year, reports claimed that Apple had asked Hyundai to help make electric vehicles, but negotiations stalled in February. Shortly after Hyundai exited, Apple was reportedly close to a deal with Kia to handle the production side, with one report claiming the Cupertino company would invest in the region of $3.6 billion into Kia for the project.

The months since have been headlined by contradictory forecasts regarding the arrival of the Apple Car, with some analysts forecasting a 2024 target, while other reports suggest that Apple's self-driving vehicles are at least five to seven years away.