A former Lamborghini executive has joined Apple to work on the company's long-rumored electric vehicle, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
The report notes that Apple hired Luigi Taraborrelli, a 20-year veteran of Lamborghini, to help lead the design of the vehicle. Taraborrelli oversaw chassis and vehicle dynamics engineering/R&D at Lamborghini, according to his LinkedIn profile. Taraborrelli helped lead the design of suspension components, rims and tires, steering and brake systems, exhaust systems, fuel systems, driver assistance technologies, and more.
"For over twenty years I have been in the automotive business working on designing amazing cars and simultaneously adapting and re-shaping my team's organization in order to meet company's vision and mission," wrote Taraborrelli on his LinkedIn profile. He also said technology is one of his passions, which makes Apple an ideal fit for him.
Apple has been rumored to be working on an electric vehicle since 2014. The project remains under the leadership of Kevin Lynch, who is also has a lead role on the Apple Watch team, and John Giannandrea, the company's head of machine learning.
Earlier this month, The Information's Wayne Ma reported that Apple's vehicle design goals included four seats facing inwards, a curved ceiling that resembles the roof on a Volkswagen Beetle, and a trunk that automatically rises for easy access. The report also claimed Apple has pushed for exemptions from the U.S.'s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to release a vehicle without a steering wheel and brake pedal.
Gurman and analyst Ming-Chi Kuo have both claimed that Apple aims to begin mass production of the vehicle by 2025, but the project has faced numerous leadership changes and other technical challenges, so the launch timeframe may continue to be pushed back.
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