Under Bob Mansfield’s direction, Apple’s car project has shifted towards autonomous driving, reports Bloomberg. For those unaware, Mansfield was previously the SVP of Technologies and is now leading Apple’s not-so-secret car project.
This doesn’t mean Apple will be abandoning the idea of creating a full car, though, under Mansfield’s orders the team is focusing heavily on the autonomous driving aspect. Apple is said to be taking a two-prong development approach, building the car and the software that powers it.
As Apple shifts its direction, it has hired Dan Dodge, who developer QNX, and previously ran BlackBerry’s automotive software division. Dodge, and every other Apple Car engineers and employee, reports to Mansfield, who reports directly to Apple CEO Tim Cook.
The report says Mansfield has three teams in his division: a software team led by John Wright, a sensor team led by Benjamin Lyon, and a hardware engineering team led by D.J. Novotney.
With Mansfield in charge, he’s continuing Apple’s aggressive hiring policies, grabbing Todd Gray and Aindrea Campbell, both coming from Ford.
