Apple hires Fiat Chrysler executive, revving car rumours
Apple has hired automotive veteran Doug Betts to work on unnamed project, fuelling rumours that the technology business is poised to race into the car industry.
Betts joined the business earlier this month and previously led global product and service quality at Fiat-Chrsyler as a senior vice president. He is working in an operations role at the Cuepertino-based company, though Apple reportedly declined to shed more light on the role when contacted by The Wall Street Journal.
His background in various operations roles at Nissan, Toyota, Michelin and Fiat Chrysler suggests Apple will mine his expertise to build a car, which chimes with a spate of automotive talent the business has gobbled up recently. Reports claim the car experts have been assemble to work on a project called “Titan” that will create an electric car for the iPhone maker.
The rumours were given further credibility in May when Fiat Chrysler’s chief executive Sergio Marchionne revealed that his counterpart at Apple Tim Cook had expressed an interest in the car.
Should the rumours prove true, then it would see Apple follow in the footsteps of Google in developing a car. The online business unveiled a prototype for its self-driving cars last year.