Over the past decade, Apple has cultivated a reputation of being sleek, slim, and petite. Its iPhones are thinner than a centimeter, the iPads and MacBooks are literally slim enough to slip into manila envelopes, and the new iMac is probably the slimmest desktop PC ever made. With that image in mind, it’s perfectly natural to imagine that the Apple Car would echo those very attributes. Close your eyes and think of an “Apple Car” and a sedan should naturally come to your mind. Concept Designer Jan Peisert feels differently. Meet the Apple One, a sophisticated looking SUV created in the image of the company behind the iPhone.
Peisert’s Concept One embodies all the good aspects of Apple (and a few unsavory ones) into a design that’s meant for the entire family. It’s a luxury car, but it isn’t a sedan. Instead, the Apple One is a one-for-all sort of SUV that accommodates 4 or more people pretty spaciously. Its proportions (and especially that headlight) feel slightly like a cross between the Tesla Cybertruck and the Rivian SUV. The design is mildly angular but doesn’t come with any edgy surfaces or straight lines. Instead, everything curves rather organically… a feature also seen in the continuous curves found on Apple products. Speaking of Apple products (and also of unsavory aspects), the Apple One sports that infamous cheesegrater grille on the front. One could argue that an electric SUV wouldn’t need a grille, but Peisert probably took a creative call with that one there. Moreover, who knows, maybe an air intake would help keep the car’s CPU cool?
Aside from the illuminated logo on the front (something that’s sort of becoming a trend with fan-made Apple car concepts), the car comes with rather slick headlights and taillights. The linear lights, apart from illuminating the road, double as indicators too, with the headlight glowing entirely on the left or right to indicate intention, while the vertical channels on the taillight turning orange. The Apple One even has indicators built into the doors (at the seam between the door and window) that allow everyone to know when the car’s about to make a turn. A third break-light on the back lets people behind the Apple One know when the car’s slowing down or stopping.
The Apple One is detailed out in two variants – silver and space-gray. Both variants are practically identical in physical appearance, although the silver car comes with wooden trims on the front and back, while the space-gray sports carbon fiber trims instead… sort of like a Pro version.
There aren’t any details on the interiors (after all this is digital art and not a real 3D concept), although Peisert’s highlighted a few external features that are pretty intriguing. For instance, the slick headlights aren’t the only road-illuminating feature on the front. The Apple One also comes with laser headlights that sit on either extremes of the Apple logo. These headlights project powerful spotlights on the road, allowing you to see in low-light conditions as you drive. The car even comes with retractable side-view cameras, gesture-controlled butterfly doors and trunk, and a wireless-charging base that also debuted in Emre Husmen’s Apple Car concept. While the Apple One concept doesn’t detail any technical features, it’s safe to say an Apple car would also tie in with the ecosystem, having the ability to unlock or hit ignition on the iPhone. The car would probably run on a self-driving AI that uses the strong catalog of sensors that Apple’s designed and built into its product. It’s safe to say the car would also help Apple Maps strengthen and grow its user base over the years, and if the smart car responds to commands like “Hey Siri, take me to Starbucks”, Apple has a clear winner on its hands!
Designer: Jan Peisert
