Apple's Project Titan accelerates with hiring of automotive legends?

Since the alleged approval of "Project Titan" by Apple CEO Tim Cook in 2014 has been leaked last February, rumors about the company developing an autonomous car have persisted. This week, thoughts about the confidential electric car project are again reinforced with the appointment of new car experts.

Specifically, the Wall Street Journal noted the change in Doug Betts's LinkedIn profile, which now highlights his affiliation with Apple. A well-known figure in the car industry, Betts has worked in the field for over 28 years with prominent organizations such as Michelin, Nissan, Toyota, and Chrysler Group. With Chrysler, he took the position of senior vice president and product quality and service head of operations.

Additionally, Paul Furgale has been brought to the company. Furgale is described as a leading autonomous vehicle researcher from Switzerland. He had been deputy director of the Autonomous Systems Lab at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and led a European Commission project dubbed the V-Charge, which is aimed at producing advanced self-parking vehicle technology.

Aside from Betts and Furgale, Apple has previously hired a host of experts from relevant fields, even going as far as drawing talents from large-scale and future rival organizations such as Ford and Tesla.

9to5Mac shared a comprehensive list of these hires, which includes: Johann Jungwirth, former president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz research and development; Rober Gough from Autoliv, a company specializing in safety systems (e.g., airbags, seatbelts, radar, and night vision systems).

It also includes Mujeeb Ijaz, former Manager of Electric and Fuel Cell Vehicle Engineering at Ford and former CTO of A123 Systems Inc., which is responsible for producing high-powered batteries for Formula 1 racing cars; and Tesla engineers and designers David Nelson, Pete Augenbergs, and John Ireland.

While the excitement and anticipation for Apple's "Titan" car rises, however, International Business Times believes that competition will be many and fierce when the Apple car enters the scene.

Aside from the fact that Google has been working on a driverless car for the past six years, many major car manufacturers have set up their own autonomous vehicle research and development facilities ahead of Apple, many of which you can find in and around Silicon Valley.