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
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/CorbisOne 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 ImagesDoors? Where you're going in the Smart Brabus FourJoy concept car, you don't need doors.Bloomberg/Getty ImagesThe 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/CorbisNissan'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/CorbisToyota hasn't said much about its high-riding C-HR Concept crossover, but we know that it's purple. Very purple.Benoit Tessier—Reuters/CorbisMaserati 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 ImagesMercedes-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/CorbisIt 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
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.Finz Lo—HighsnobietyAn artist's concept of an Apple Watch by Alexander Wang.Finz Lo—HighsnobietyAn artist's concept of an Apple Watch by Maison Martin Margiela.Finz Lo—HighsnobietyAn artist's concept of an Apple Watch by Givenchy.Finz Lo—HighsnobietyAn artist's concept of an Apple Watch by Louis Vuitton.Finz Lo—Highsnobiety
