Despite many rumors and reports that work has been going on for years, with numerous setbacks, the Apple Car is still shrouded in mystery. However, new job postings from Apple may have confirmed one of its rumored key features.

Apple is currently seeking a "radar test engineer" who will reportedly work on "autonomous systems." This suggests that the rumor that the Apple Car will be some sort of autonomous vehicle is true.

According to the listing, the radar test engineer will join Apple's sensor team, which will "develop new radar technology for use in autonomous driving systems." The candidate should also have "experience in robotic control and automation."

Unfortunately, the job posting does not reveal any information about Apple's automotive plans or how far along they are in development. After all, unless Apple is planning some sort of radar sensor for a future iPhone or iPad, like the Soli chip in the Pixel 4, it is clear that this hire will be working on systems for Apple cars.

Even if the rumors of fully autonomous driving are untrue, it would be foolish for Apple to launch an electric car without some degree of autonomy. Radar is the obvious way to accomplish this.

Radar is a very common feature in modern cars and is already utilized in autonomous driving systems that are in practical use. With radar on board, cars are able to detect and track objects around them. This is a fairly important aspect of letting the car do some of the driving.

Even the most basic Level 1 autonomous driving systems, such as adaptive cruise control, require some way to "see" what is around the car for both safety and functionality reasons. Radar has been around since before World War II, and most manufacturers have adopted it. Even Tesla uses radar in its Autopilot (although the new Model 3 and Model Y have eliminated radar in favor of an optical camera-centric system).

The Apple Car project has been in development for years now, but seems to have suffered some setbacks. Not only is it a big leap for a company focused on personal computing to enter the automotive world, but several reports indicate that Apple has not been particularly favorably received by the automotive industry as a whole.

In fact, there are rumors that automakers are apprehensive about partnering with Apple. They do not want to cede control of the project and become the "Foxconn of the automotive industry" (referring to the company famous for assembling the iPhone).

For example, Hyundai Motor Company was initially rumored to be in talks about manufacturing Apple cars, but later reportedly wanted to hand over responsibility for the project to its subsidiary, Kia Motors. Later, after news of these talks leaked, the deal was reportedly broken.

Similarly, Apple reportedly faced delays in its negotiations with battery suppliers. This is because one of the conditions was that all batteries for the Apple Car must be manufactured in the U.S., not in China or elsewhere. More recently, Ford lost Doug Field, an automotive industry veteran who was reportedly appointed to head the Apple Car's development.

And now a report, this time from South Korea, claims that Apple is shifting to a strategy of going it alone in Apple Car production to avoid further delays. Obviously, that tactic requires Apple to hire more experienced workers and engineers, rather than relying on the existing team that its partners in the car industry already have.

Rumors about the timing of the Apple Car's launch are flying everywhere, but Apple will not comment on the speculation. Some reports cite 2024 as the launch date, while others say the car is likely to appear in 2025 or 2026 at the earliest.

Apple is too secretive to say exactly what is going on. What we do know is that the Apple Car has suffered some major setbacks but still seems to be in active development. It may be a while before we know anything more concrete, but after all this time, it should at least be worth the wait.