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Apple to Test Self-Driving Cars in California

The renowned multinational technology firm based in America received a permit to test self-driving cars in California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)

United States: The technology giant of America, Apple Inc., has recently acquired an official permit to test autonomous cars on public roads in the state of California, United States.

Apple has added its name to a long list of permit holders among companies such as Tesla, Ford, BMW, Google, Nissan, etc., that acutely took part in Autonomous Vehicle Tester Program in the state of California. As per the permit by state DMV, Apple can perform test drives in three vehicles, i.e. all 2015 Lexus RX450h model, along with six drivers, in total.

"This does confirm what's long been rumored: that Apple is at least toying with the idea of getting into the autonomous game in some capacity. This is not necessarily automobiles as initially rumored, but software or possibly hardware associated with autonomous technology," said Chris Theodore, currently President of Theodore & Associates as well as former Vice President at Ford Motor Co (F.N) and Chrysler.

However, the permit by state DMV does not allow Apple to build its own autonomous car.

"The company is investing heavily in the study of machine learning and automation, and is excited about the potential of automated systems in many areas, including transportation.", added the Product Integrity Director of Apple, Steve Kenner.

The CEO of the company, Tim Cook, while showing an expanding interest in the recent move proclaimed that Apple is looking forward to surpass beyond the integration of smartphones to autonomous vehicle technology systems.

TechSci Research believes that the constantly testing and evolving self-driving technology around the globe is anticipated to further lead to greater advancements in the autonomous vehicle technology, thereby, generating the demand of autonomous vehicles across the globe in coming years. Besides that, the addition of IT multinational in the autonomous self-driving testing, would act as a step forward towards success in the automotive industry for future driverless cars, thereby, contributing to the growth of overall industry in following years.

According to a recent report published by TechSci Research, “Global Autonomous Car Technology Market Forecast and Opportunities, 2035 – ADAS, Semi-Autonomous, Fully-Autonomous”, global autonomous car technology market is expected to witness a CAGR of over 10% through 2035. The market is currently dominated by ADAS segment, which is expected to maintain its dominance over the next twenty years as well. The dominance of this segment can be attributed to anticipated increase in government regulations pertaining to integration of ADAS technologies in passenger cars. Further, semi-autonomous car technology is expected to witness robust growth over the next ten years, owing to anticipated decline in its average selling price coupled with rising volume sales. Region-wise, North America has emerged as the largest contributor in the market for autonomous car technology, followed by Europe, Asia-Pacific (APAC) and Middle East North Africa (MENA).

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