It's been almost a year since rumors about Apple entering the automotive space were at their peak. Despite rumors of partnerships with Kia, Toyota, and Porsche, and an abundance of speculation about what an iCar might look like, not much has been revealed. However, recent reports from the California DMV's Autonomous Vehicles Program indicate that Apple is steadfastly pushing forward with its plans to bring a car to market.
Apple's California-based self-driving fleet now has 67 cars and 201 drivers, a number that's much greater than Tesla's 14 cars and 59 drivers. While their fleet is larger than Mercedes-Benz' 55 cars and 179 drivers, it's still smaller than Waymo's 326 cars and 971 drivers, Cruise's 709 cars and 414 drivers, and Zoox's 167 cars and 1021 drivers.
Though Apple has yet to find a partner to produce a car with, a report released late last year suggested that the project is targeting a launch of 2026 in the $100,000 price range. This would position the iCar as a direct competitor to the Tesla Model S and Mercedes-Benz EQS.
The latest data from the DMV shows that Apple's driverless cars have been involved in 16 collisions, one of which occurred when the car was being manually operated. Although Apple has been tight-lipped about their plans for entering the automotive world, we can see from their growing number of drivers and cars that they are continuing ahead with their efforts.