Apple in Top 3 Brands Considered for Quality Without Actual Car on Sale, Vehicle Owners' Survey Shows

Apple is said to be working on a self-driving car, and several news reports have previously tipped the company to be developing technology towards that goal. While the Cupertino company is probably several years away from launching an autonomous vehicle — it is yet to officially announce plans for such a product, a recent survey shows that a sizable number of users in the US are already keen to purchase a vehicle from the manufacturer of the iPhone, iPad, Macs, Apple Watch, and other consumer electronics. 

According to a recent survey of new vehicle owners in the US, Apple was the third highest brand considered by customers when asked how they feel about the quality of over forty-five automotive brands. Strategic Vision's new vehicle experience study (NVES) polled over 2 lakh vehicle owners and tracked variables such as smartphone brand use and EV development measures. 

The NVES survey revealed that Apple, which does not even have a car to sell to customers, was in third place with 26 percent of customers stating they would 'definitely consider' a vehicle from the Cupertino firm in the future. In fact, Apple beat established brands Ford (21 percent) and Tesla (20 percent) in the survey. Apple was placed after Toyota (38 percent) and Honda (32 percent), which were in first and second place, respectively.   

While Apple was in third place in terms of user consideration for a vehicle, the company beat the other brands handily when respondents were asked about their impression of the quality of the brand, with 24 percent ticking the box "I love it", according to the survey. 

However, unlike other brands, the survey found that 34 percent of new vehicle buyers polled said that they “Don't know enough about” what an Apple vehicle might be like, with no word from the company on plans for an autonomous electric vehicle to date.

Bloomberg previously reported that Apple had hired Luigi Taraborrelli, a 20-year veteran of Italian carmaker Lamborghini, indicating that the company could be working on a vehicle. Taraborrelli was brought on as one of the most senior managers on Apple's EV team and is expected to give the company's efforts a boost after years of delays and upheaval, according to the report.