Apple is definitely building a car, Tesla's Elon Musk says

Chief of electric car company says it is an 'open secret' that the iPhone maker is gearing up to launch a rival vehicle

The billionaire technology entrepreneur Elon Musk
Tesla's Elon Musk Credit: Photo: REUTERS

Elon Musk, the chief executive of high-tech electric car company Tesla, has said that it is an "open secret" that Apple is building a rival vehicle.

"Companies like Apple will probably make a compelling electric car, it seems like the obvious thing to do," Musk, who made billions from the success of PayPal, told the BBC.

"It's pretty hard to hide something if you hire over a thousand engineers to do it."

 

Apple is widely believed to be developing its own electric car. It has reportedly been scouting locations for testing and meeting with regulators, and has registered car-related website domains.

Tim Cook, its chief executive, has also said that the car industry should expect "massive change".

Musk, who has attempted to pioneer desirable electric cars with Tesla's high-end models, has previously been vocal about Apple's supposed attempts to build a rival. He said last year that Apple was nicknamed "The Tesla Graveyard" within Tesla, and that it was where engineers went after being fired from Tesla.

When asked if Apple was a threat, he mockingly told a German newspaper: "Did you ever take a look at the Apple Watch?"

Musk told the BBC that "we encourage more participation by whoever it is to create electric vehicles" but that "it's quite hard to do".

Apple's CarPlay system
Apple's CarPlay system, its iPhone-like dashboard system

Apple and Google are both making big moves to crack the car industry, including investing in self-driving technology.

Tesla is quickly introducing driverless modes to its currently-available cars though. A new mode revealed this week allows owners to summon their Tesla to their doors with just a smartphone.