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Luigi Taraborrelli, who has been at Lamborghini for more than two decades, will help Apple as it works to develop an autonomous EV.
Apple has reportedly hired one of Lamborghini’s top executives to work on its not-so-secret self-driving car project.
People with knowledge of the matter told Bloomberg that Luigi Taraborrelli, a 20-year Lamborghini veteran who led the Italian carmaker’s chassis and vehicle dynamics, will be joining Apple as it prepares for a car launch in the coming years.
According to his LinkedIn page, Taraborrelli joined Lamborghini in 2001 and rose through the ranks to become a key executive in the company, steering a team of engineers. He has worked on Lamborghini models such as the Urus, Huracan and Aventador.
With a background in car and materials engineering, Taraborrelli brings a wealth of experience to Apple. It comes as the company steps up work on what is known as Project Titan, the self-driving car project that was first launched in 2014 but has faced many setbacks.
Doug Field, who headed the company’s car efforts for three years, left Apple in September 2021. Mark Gurman, journalist and Apple expert, tweeted at the time that Field’s departure was “probably the largest setback” for Apple’s car project, with the expected launch date “further out now, if ever”.
Field was replaced by Kevin Lynch, who also spearheads Apple’s watch and health units.
In May, Apple hired long-time Ford executive Desi Ujkashevic to bring her experience and expertise to Project Titan. Before joining Apple, Ujkashevic was Ford’s global director of safety engineering and had been working at the US carmaker for more than three decades.
According to Bloomberg, Apple is aiming to launch an electric car by 2025. The car will reportedly have a limousine-like interior that will allow riders to face each other and potentially come without a steering wheel or pedals – giving way to fully autonomous technology.
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