Apple Car's Self-Driving System Reportedly Advances, Could Use Sensors From iPhone LiDAR Supplier

Apple has made advancements with its self-driving system and could use LiDAR sensors from Wenmao, Economic Daily News reports.

Apple car wheel icon feature yellow
Apple has reportedly improved its vehicle project's self-driving capabilities and is expanding testing. The self-driving system apparently heavily relies on LiDAR sensors, which Apple may source from Chinese supplier Wenmao – a supplier that already provides LiDAR scanners for the iPhone and iPad Pro. While the company may take some time to develop capacity for automotive-grade LiDAR sensors, Wenmao's quality and existing relationship with Apple could make a partnership likely. Apple is likely to choose long-term supply chain partners like Wenmao early in the development process.

Another Economic Daily News report says that Apple supplier Foxconn's collaboration with German industrial giant Siemens to make advanced driver assistance systems could align with Apple's automotive strategy. Taiwanese companies like Foxconn are believed to have sufficient production capacity to build the vehicle. Apple is expected to continue testing until the car is a viable consumer product.

A major recent report from Bloomberg claims that Apple has scaled back its initial vision for the vehicle and dropped its proposed $120,000 price point, eliminating ambitions for a full self-driving system with no steering wheel or pedals, and an interior design focused on communal seating. Now, the car is expected to have a much more conventional design with more limited self-driving capabilities, for a price under $100,000. The car is now expected to launch around 2026.

Popular Stories

apple tv 4k new orange

New Apple TV Expected Later This Year With These New Features

Saturday July 12, 2025 3:09 pm PDT by
A new Apple TV is expected to be released later this year, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the next Apple TV, according to rumors. Rumors Faster Wi-Fi Support The next Apple TV will be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. He said the chip supports ...
iphone 16 pro ghost hand

5 Reasons to Skip This Year's iPhone 17 Pro

Thursday July 10, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series in two months, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 16 New Features

Friday July 11, 2025 12:40 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are only two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:A redesigned Dynamic Island: It has been rumored that all iPhone 17 models will have a redesigned Dynamic Island interface — it might ...
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Complications

Apple Watch Ultra 3: What to Expect

Sunday July 13, 2025 10:30 am PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 is nearly over, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the Apple Watch Ultra 3:Satellite connectivity for sending and receiving text messages when Wi-Fi and cellular coverage is unavailable 5G support, up from LTE on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 Likely a wide-angle OLED display that ...
iphone 16 pro pro max

iPhone 17 Pro Models With BOE Displays Will Be Sold in China Only

Thursday July 10, 2025 11:59 pm PDT by
iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models with displays made by BOE will be sold exclusively in China, according to a new report. Last week, it emerged that Chinese display manufacturer BOE was aggressively ramping up its OLED production capacity for future iPhone models as part of a plan to recapture a major role in Apple's supply chain. Now, tech news aggregator Jukan Choi reports...
top stories 2025 07 12

Top Stories: iPhone 17 Pro Rumors, iOS 26 Beta 3, and More

Saturday July 12, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
The iOS 26 public beta release is quickly approaching, while developers have recently gotten their hands on a third round of betas that has seen Apple continue to tweak features, design, and functionality. We're also continuing to hear rumors about the iPhone 17 lineup that is now just about right around the corner, while Apple's latest big-budget film appears to be taking off, so read on...

Top Rated Comments

jz0309 Avatar
30 months ago
"... launch around 2026 ..." not happening
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ttaylor2258 Avatar
30 months ago
Stop trying to make a car and get back to making computers that just work correctly.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ralph_sws Avatar
30 months ago
If Apple's autopilot is as effective as Siri .........heaven help us :cool:
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
30 months ago
I don’t think this Apple car will be ready in 2026. Apple needs to figure out what they’re going to do with the messy Apple AR/VR headset first. ?
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
30 months ago
So what happens when one of the LiDAR sensors stops working?

Is Applecare+ will be able to cover that?
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DelayedGratificationGene Avatar
30 months ago

It’s already too late for Apple.

Tesla is just so ahead of everyone else and still accelerating much faster than competition.

Tesla’s better technology plus lower cost means market domination.

Maybe Apple never intends to compete with Tesla’s plan to sell 20 million cars per year. Apple’s $100k-200k price point will limit them to less than 100,000 or 0.1 million annual sales (I’m being generous).
Lol man we’ve heard Apple is way behind comments before huh? Especially with iPhone….”Apple will never catch up with the phones already out there”
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)