Apple Is Testing Mystery Cars With Roof-Mounted Cameras

1 minute read

Photos of a mysterious minivan with roof-mounted cameras in Concord, Calif., confirmed to be leased to Apple, were posted online Tuesday, raising suspicions that Apple might be testing its own driverless car, CBS reported.

The Wildest Concept Cars of 2014

The Chevy Chaparral 2x Vision concept car on display during the third day of media day at the LA Auto show.
Anybody can take Chevy's Chaparral 2x Vision concept car for a spin — anybody with Gran Turismo 6 for the Sony PlayStation, anyway, where the car is a playable download.Gene Blevins—LA DailyNews/Corbis
Toyota shows their future mobility concept Toyota FV2 during the 2014 International CES at the Las Vegas Convention Center on January 7, 2014 in Las Vegas.
One day, we'll all finally get to ride those light-cycles from Tron. For now, there's Toyota's FV2 concept car.Joe Klamar—AFP/Getty Images
Preview Day At The Moscow International Auto Salon
Doors? Where you're going in the Smart Brabus FourJoy concept car, you don't need doors.Bloomberg/Getty Images
A worker cleans the floor beside Volkwagen's new concept car "TRISTAR" at the booth of German carmaker Volkswagen Nutzfahrzeuge ( Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles) at the IAA truck show in Hanover on Sept. 23, 2014.
The pickup truck hasn't really changed much in decades — until Volkswagen took it on with this Tristar concept car, which takes a pickup and makes it super offroad-friendly.Fabian Bimmer—Reuters/Corbis
Nissan shows their BladeGlider concept car on display during day 2 of media day at the LA Auto show on Nov. 19, 2014.
Nissan's 3-seat electric BladeGlider concept car might actually make it to production, pretty rare for a concept car this wild. If a Jedi Knight drove a car, it would be the BladeGlider.Gene Blevins—LA DailyNews/Corbis
The Toyota C-HR Concept car is displayed on media day at the Paris Mondial de l'Automobile on Oct. 2, 2014.
Toyota hasn't said much about its high-riding C-HR Concept crossover, but we know that it's purple. Very purple.Benoit Tessier—Reuters/Corbis
The Maserati Alfieri concept car is displayed at the group's stand of the Geneva Motor Show, on March 4, 2014.
Maserati says its Alfieri concept car represents "the future of Maserati design." Too bad most of us can't conceptualize being able to afford a Maserati any time soon.Pierre Albouy—AFP/Getty Images
Mercedes-Benz's new Sport Utility Coupe concept car G-Code is seen at its unveiling event during the opening ceremony of Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz research and development (R&D) centre in Beijing on Nov. 3, 2014.
Mercedes-Benz's G-Code concept SUV comes covered in what the company calls "multi-voltaic silver" paint that's supposed to act like one big solar cell. It's all very green — err, "multi-voltaic silver." Kim Kyung-Hoon—Reuters/Corbis
A president-mobil concept car, designed by Georgy Ostretsov, is given a test run across the Zolotoi Rog (Golden Horn) Bay on Oct. 3, 2014. The car's engine is powered by ethanol biofuel.
It somehow doesn't feel like this car, designed by Russian artist Gosha Ostretsov, will fly off the shelves. But that's okay, because it's more art exhibit than commercial vehicle. Smityuk Yuri—ITAR-TASS Photo/Corbis

Google has taken the spotlight with public tests of its driverless car prototypes, while Uber’s recent investment in robotics has sparked rumors of driverless taxis. Several top carmakers in the U.S. including Audi, Mercedes-Benz and Tesla also showed off plans for autonomous vehicle technology last month at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada.

According to The Verge, the cameras appear to be LIDAR cameras (Light Detection and Ranging System), the same cameras Google uses to power its driverless cars.

The presence of roof-mounted cameras also has raised questions about whether Apple Maps wants to add on a street view function, similar to that of Google Maps.

Apple has declined to comment on the speculation.

See How the Apple Watch Might Look if Reimagined by Fashion's Top Designers

An artist's concept of an Apple Watch by Chanel.
An artist's concept of an Apple Watch by Chanel.Finz Lo—Highsnobiety
An artist's concept of an Apple Watch by Alexander Wang.
An artist's concept of an Apple Watch by Alexander Wang.Finz Lo—Highsnobiety
An artist's concept of an Apple Watch by Maison Martin Margiela.
An artist's concept of an Apple Watch by Maison Martin Margiela.Finz Lo—Highsnobiety
An artist's concept of an Apple Watch by Givenchy .
An artist's concept of an Apple Watch by Givenchy.Finz Lo—Highsnobiety
An artist's concept of an Apple Watch by Louis Vuitton.
An artist's concept of an Apple Watch by Louis Vuitton.Finz Lo—Highsnobiety

[CBS]

More Must-Reads from TIME

Contact us at letters@time.com