Apple is said to be developing technology for self-driving cars, and several news reports have previously suggested that the company is working on it. While the Cupertino company is likely several years away from launching an autonomous vehicle — it has yet to officially announce plans for such a product — a recent survey shows that a sizable number of users in the United States are already eager to purchase a vehicle from the maker of the iPhone, iPad, Macs, Apple Watch, and other consumer electronics.
According to a recent survey of new vehicle owners in the United States, when asked how they feel about the quality of over forty-five automotive brands, customers ranked Apple third. The new vehicle experience study (NVES) conducted by Strategic Vision polled over 2 lakh vehicle owners and tracked variables such as smartphone brand use and EV development measures.
According to the NVES survey, Apple, which does not even sell cars to customers, is in third place, with 26 percent of customers saying they would ‘definitely consider purchasing a vehicle from the Cupertino company in the future. In fact, Apple outperformed established brands Ford (21%) and Tesla (20%) in the survey. Apple was ranked third, trailing Toyota (38%) and Honda (32%), which were ranked first and second, respectively.
While Apple was third in terms of user consideration for a vehicle, the company easily outperformed the other brands when respondents were asked about their impression of the brand’s quality, with 24 percent ticking the box “I love it,” according to the survey.
Unlike other brands, however, the survey found that 34% of new vehicle buyers polled said they “don’t know enough about” what an Apple vehicle might be like, despite the fact that the company has yet to announce plans for an autonomous electric vehicle.
Bloomberg previously reported that Apple had hired Luigi Taraborrelli, a 20-year veteran of the Italian automaker Lamborghini, implying that the company was working on a vehicle. According to the report, Taraborrelli was hired as one of the most senior managers on Apple’s EV team and is expected to give the company’s efforts a boost after years of delays and upheaval.
