Apple hires former BMW executive Ulrich Kranz for car project: Report

Apple Inc has hired Ulrich Kranz, a former senior executive at BMW AG's electric car division, to help its vehicle initiatives, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Kranz will report to Apple veteran Doug Field, who led development of Tesla Inc's mass-market Model 3 and now runs Apple's car project, the report said.

Apple did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment.

The iPhone maker's automotive efforts, known as Project Titan, have proceeded unevenly since 2014 when Apple first started designing its own vehicle from scratch.

In December, Apple said it was moving forward with its self-driving car technology and targeting to produce a passenger vehicle that could include its own breakthrough battery technology by 2024.