NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Apple Inc. is hiring automotive technology and design experts to staff up a top-secret research lab, with the possible intention of building a car, the Financial Times reported on Friday, citing several people familiar with the iPhone maker.
It's unclear whether the world's largest smartphone maker is simply looking for talent to shore up CarPlay, the in-car entertainment and software service it unveiled last year that CEO Tim Cook has identified as pivotal to the company's longer-term future.
The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter, reported late Friday the company has several hundred employees working secretly toward creating an Apple-branded electric vehicle. The paper said the project, code-named “Titan,” has an initial design of a vehicle that resembles a minivan, one of these people said.
Apple may decide not to proceed with a car, the Journal said.