Apple and automotive enthusiasts perked up when insiders spilled that the Cupertino tech giant is actively working on its own brand of “next-level” self-driving cars. Soon after the news broke, a striking video of an impressive ‘Apple Car’ concept began making its rounds. Unfortunately, its authenticity has been debunked.
The video was seemingly first posted by TikToker vfxhd, and was later shared by other users on TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube. It depicts a white self-parking car with 360-degree spherical wheels. According to Gizmodo, the footage chalked up over five million views on Twitter alone.
As it turns out, the design is a fake. The Drive reported that the CGIed car is based on Mercedes-Benz’s seven-year-old ‘AMG Vision Gran Turismo’ concept and enhanced with a light-up Apple logo.
As the clip was reposted several times, the context from the original video could have been wiped out. Therefore, many were fooled into thinking it was an actual Apple prototype.
The car news site also explained that “trackball wheels” are currently an impossible dream.
With that being said, the rumored ‘Apple Car’ is purported to bear first-of-its-kind technology, so you could say it is, for now, impossible too. The vehicle is apparently designed with a “radically” price-efficient battery that boasts a remarkable range. The real version will also be installed with “multiple” LiDAR sensors.
The Apple-branded car is still a long ways down the road, however. Sources believe it will only be ready around 2024, though delays from the COVID-19 pandemic might push its release to 2025 or after.
— Quinn Miller (@quinnjmiller) December 25, 2020
The original design that the fake video was reportedly based on
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