Apple Car exterior details revealed: passengers can talk face-to-face Curved ceiling

Wayne Ma of The Information today published an in-depth report reflecting on Apple’s struggles to build self-driving electric cars, including technical challenges and several leadership changes since the project began some eight years ago.

Significantly, the report reveals some interesting details about the appearance of the so-called “Apple Car. The car’s latest design is said to have four inward-facing seats where passengers can talk face-to-face, as well as a curved ceiling similar to the roof of the Volkswagen Beetle.

Apple’s designers are also experimenting with a trunk compartment that can be raised for easy access and automatically lowered when not in use, according to the report. Likewise, designers reportedly discussed large seatback screens that lift.

According to this report, former Apple design director Jonathan Ivey remains involved in the project as a consultant. He left Apple in 2019 to start the independent design firm LoveFrom, and he apparently advised the Apple Car team that they “should lean toward what makes the car’s design unique, rather than trying to hide its sensors.”

As previously reported, The Information says Apple is aiming to get a waiver from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to launch a car without a steering wheel and brake pedal. Interestingly, the report says Apple even discussed allowing passengers to sleep flat on their backs in the car.