Apple hired Ulrich Kranz, former BMW vice president and co-founder of EV startup Canoo, to work on its revitalized electric car development project.
First reported by Bloomberg and confirmed by Apple in multiple publications since then, Kranz’s appointment follows a spate of activity from the company’s recently revived Project Titan program.
Most recently, it was reported that Apple was on the verge of signing a joint venture agreement that would see EV propulsion giant LG Electronics build the first examples of its car as a pilot to gauge consumer interest.
It is unclear what role Kranz will play in developing the program, but he will report to Project Titan head Doug Field, who previously oversaw the development and production of the Tesla Model 3 electric sedan.
Prior to founding Canoo (an American EV platform developer who recently signed a groundbreaking supply agreement with the Hyundai Motor Group), Kranz spent 30 years at BMW, most recently leading the development of its core i3 and i8 models.
He also spent a brief stint as the chief technology officer of ailing electric car startup Faraday Future.
According to Bloomberg, who quotes Apple internal sources, Kranz left Canoo in April and started his new role in California “in the past few weeks.”
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