Apple plans to create electric cars ready to ship in 2019, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The American technology giant has spent over a year exploring the possibility for an ‘Apple car’, and has reportedly met with two groups of government officials in California.

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The reports come less than a month after rumours of Apple planning to acquire McLaren emerged.

The WSJ reported that despite having hired experts in driverless cars, sources said there were no plans for the first vehicle to be fully autonomous.

Instead, it was said that autonomous driving will be part of the product’s ‘long-term plans’.

Apple will apparently treble its car team, nicknamed ‘Titan’, and has reassigned personnel from across the corporation to form part of it.

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Sources close to the project told the WSJ that many were sceptical about the 2019 deadline.

Apple has long been rumoured to be developing a car, and these reports may be the strongest indication of its plans yet.

The Guardian first reported that in May this year Apple employees were found to have met with officials from GoMentum Station, a former navy weapons station turned autonomous vehicle testing facility, with a view to scheduling time.

In addition, a lawyer from Apple met with officials at the Department of Motor Vehicles in California, for a meeting which focused on ‘autonomous vehicle testing regulations’.