Apple taps Mercedes engineers for 'special project', likely Apple Car

Hyundai Egmp
Hyundai Egmp (Image credit: Hyundai)

What you need to know

  • Apple has reportedly hired a couple of Mercedes engineers to work on Apple Car.
  • Dr. Anton Uselmann is now working at Apple in its 'Special Projects Group'.
  • A report says a second Mercedes engineer is also on Apple's radar.

A new report notes that Apple has tapped two Mercedes engineers to work in its 'special projects division', likely pertaining to Apple Car.

As reported by MacRumors:

The leading new hire previously worked at Mercedes, focusing on mass production of vehicles, vehicle steering, dynamics, and software and project management. The hire, now working as a product design engineer at Apple at its "Special Projects Group," also previously worked at Porsche, undertaking similar responsibilities. A second engineer who previously worked at Mercedes has also recently been tapped by Apple to join the company, MacRumors has learned.

The former, Dr. Anton Uselmann has previously worked for three years with Mercedes, as well as Porsche. His PhD involved conducting research on road feedback and steering feel. Dr. Uselmann worked on steering at both German carmakers.

MacRumors reports that a second engineer is also reportedly on Apple's radar, but does not name the individual.

It has been long-rumored that Apple plans to release its own autonomous electric vehicle to rival cars like Tesla, but also that the company might reduce its ambitions to creating an autonomous driving system that could power cars from other manufacturers.

Most recently a sketchy report claimed Apple was in Japan talking to companies about mass production that is due to start in 2024. Apple has also reportedly held talks with Hyundai and Kia, even tabling the prospect of making the car in America at the company's U.S. factory in Georgia.

Stephen Warwick
News Editor

Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design.

Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple. Follow him on Twitter @stephenwarwick9