Apple Buying McLaren Could Save Apple Car Project

By Martin Feigen | Sep 22, 2016

TORONTO, CANADA - FEBRUARY 15 : The McLaren P1 on display at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto on February 15, 2014. The largest auto show in Canada, Canadian International Auto Show (CIAS) held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre welcomes its visitors on its second day in Toronto, Canada on February 15, 2014. More than 300,000 people expected to attend the annual event till February 23, 2014. (Photo by Seyit Aydogan/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) /

The rumor of Apple purchasing McLaren has the internet abuzz with possibilities. Could it jumpstart the Apple car program and get it out of the design room.

The long-gestating rumors of the Apple Car have been more about personnel than actual substance. Apple has hired dozens of automotive experts from several companies. Nothing concrete has come from Cupertino with a design or hint of direction.

We wrote last month about how the longer it takes for Apple to actually launch their car, the more likely it is to be behind in technology. Apple has been trying to design the car from the ground up, not adapting to an existing chassis.

Out of the blue the McLaren report comes out. Everyone starts thinking about self-driving P1’s going to work. Truth is, if Apple does buy or invest in McLaren it will be about the underpinnings of the car. It will be about the steering, the brakes, suspension, and seats. It would get Apple out of the weeds of car design and on track with its goals.

With Apples latest hires, it became apparent that their focus was on self-driving cars. The advances McLaren has made in their cars does not translate to self-driving. They build cars that provide an unbelievable driving experience. The uses they have made in data acquisition and interpretation to improve the driving experience does.

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The hybrid technology McLaren has developed is very interesting as well. While Tesla is well ahead in autonomous driving, their cars are limited by their battery range. If Apple were to develop a hybrid that was self-driving, a new world opens up. Range fear is one of the biggest reasons people will not buy all-electric cars.

By building a hybrid, they could separate themselves from Tesla and the other electric car makers. The energy recovery systems Mclaren uses would also be a technological boost for any hybrid Apple would produce. They could develop a revolutionary energy recovery system that would make the Apple car stand on its own.

The next step in autonomous cars is a better understanding of the driving experience. The making of the ride enjoyable and crisp, while feeling comfortable. Using the McLaren technology Apple could integrate passenger feelings into the data pool. All that could be used to create a driving profile for the car that less harsh but still responsive.

While the talk of a merger has ben denied by McLaren, it does makes sense and still may happen. Apple as a company has somewhere in the neighborhood of $200 billion cash on hand. Some of the stocks activist investors have been clamoring for years for CEO Tim Cook to put that cash to use. This would do that while advancing an internal project.

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Personally, I have had reservations about the Apple car. If they were able to pull off the acquisition of McLaren my opinion will instantly change. Take some of the best car makers in the world and put them together with the best minds in technology, you have the potential for greatness.