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Don’t Be Fooled, This Isn’t Apple’s First Electric Car

If you’re into cars and have spent any amount of time on social media this past weekend, you’ve likely seen a video of an unusual 3D concept car with an Apple badge upfront. While it is no secret that Apple has been developing its first electric car, this concept certainly isn’t it. In the infamous …

If you’re into cars and have spent any amount of time on social media this past weekend, you’ve likely seen a video of an unusual 3D concept car with an Apple badge upfront. While it is no secret that Apple has been developing its first electric car, this concept certainly isn’t it. In the infamous video published by Riovacci on TikTok, we see a 3D rendering of the concept car arriving and parking itself after the driver exits and walks away.

This 3D rendered Apple electric car seems to defy the laws of physics

https://twitter.com/quinnjmiller/status/1342291423492624385?s=20

A lot is going on with this Apple electric car concept, so we’ll have to break it down a bit. The vehicle comes into frame and its dirver quickly jumps out. From there, the vehicle parks itself in a nearby available spot. This implies that the designers of this 3D concept decided to give it enough autonomous driving capabilities for it to park without assistance.

However, the most striking part of this Apple concept car is its lack of traditional wheels. Instead, the low-slung coupe features what looks like four enormous spheres. What is most impressive is how the designers decided to allow the spheres to spin in almost any direction. We see this as the car spins in place before parking itself.

As you’d imagine, with a 3D rendering, the concept car does not need to obey the laws of physics. We see this as the spheres turn, and there is seemingly nothing attaching them to the body. This implies a lack of a traditional suspension.

While this is clearly not a real Apple electric car, many folks on social media have been seemingly fooled by the video. On Twitter alone, a surprising amount of people have shown interest in the concept and how they may go about purchasing one. However, others quickly pointed out the concept’s physical impossibilities and that its design may have been borrowed.

Where have we seen that design before?

An image of the Mercedes-Benz Vision Gran Turismo outdoors.
Mercedes-Benz Vision Gran Turismo | Joshua Sammer via Getty Images for Insight TV

We know with absolute certainty that the Apple electric car will look nothing like the concept shown above. This is largely because the designers took an old Mercedes-Benz concept car and slapped an Apple badge on the front. The vehicle you see pictured above is the Vision Gran Turismo, which first appeared in a racing video game. Mercedes-Benz then decided to bring the concept to like and create a physical concept car.

Perhaps the greatest crime committed by this rendered Apple electric car is the axing of the original concept’s gull-wing doors. Instead, we see it sports Ford GT-style doors that makeup part of the vehicle’s roof. Aside from that, the rest of the design has heavily inspired this rendered vehicle. The only main differentiator is the lack of a large Mercedes-Benz emblem. Instead, we get a glowing Apple logo.

Why is there a large front grille?

A Tesla Model S electric car is on display during 2020 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition
The Tesla Model S | VCG/VCG via Getty Images

Aside from sporting its own unique design, Apple’s first electric car likely won’t feature a large front grille. This comes down to the fact that electric powertrains don’t need large air intakes as internal combustion engines do to cool them down. Take a look at Tesla’s lineup, and you’ll see smooth front ends without massive air intakes.

As a result, expect Apple’s first vehicle to feature a smooth shape. This will also aid in overall aerodynamics, which should provide greater electric range. It is worth noting that there is little to no information regarding the tech giant’s first electric car. As a result, all we can do for the time being is speculate.

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