Apple Hires Ford Veteran To Work On Apple Car: Is Project Titan Nearing Completion?

The Apple Car project is making rounds again. Apple hired Ford Veteran Desi Ujkashevic to leverage their experience in building the most anticipated Apple product. Desi Ujkashevic holds a stellar record of working at Ford and other car manufacturers.

Her experience would come in handy in speeding up the design and production of the Apple Car. However, many big names have already departed to other EV manufacturers, which is a major cause of the delay in the project Titan.

What would Desi Ujkashevic improve in the Apple Car?

The project Titan has become one of the most delayed projects by Apple. With several high-profile departures in the last few years, Apple is losing a lot of time and money on the project. But the brand’s determination to launch self-driving electric vehicles is still strong. Bringing Desi Ujkashevic onboard is a strong sign that Apple wants to streamline the complete process.

Desi Ujkashevic has a strong portfolio in managing vehicle projects for automotive companies. Her long stint at Ford is a testament to her skills, owing to which Ford rolled out many vehicles in the last three decades.

Ujkashevic’s LinkedIn profile reveals that she worked on Ford’s Escape, Explorer, Fiesta, and Focus models, as well as the Lincoln MKC and Aviator models. She also helped develop new electric vehicles for the Dearborn which is a Michigan-based automobile brand.

Desi Ujkashevic has one more skill that would be very useful to Apple. She has experience in dealing with and managing regulatory issues, which Apple would face before the market launch.

Project Titan: The story so far

Project Titan launched in 2014 and since then it faced many hurdles. The trend continued till 2022, which is why Desi Ujkashevic is now a project manager. But Apple needs to figure out a lot more than just hiring people. Building a self-driving car that offers superior protection against road mishaps is no easy feat.

If only Apple would spend less time onboarding new team members, the project could culminate faster. Apple is losing market share with each passing day because EV manufacturers like Tesla and Ford continue to push out new vehicles. Moreover, Apple wants to make the car completely autonomous with little to no user input. That would take a lot of time and testing before deploying it on the road.

What do you think of the project Titan? Will it ever be complete or again get extended beyond the 2025 deadline? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.