Apple's seriousness about developing cars has also been signaled by its moves on the hiring front. For instance, it has hired Johann Jungwirth, formerly the head of Mercedes-Benz's Silicon Valley research and development division, according to the Financial Times.
Bloomberg also points to a lawsuit filed this month by electric car battery maker A123 Systems, which said the tech giant began an "aggressive campaign to poach" employees starting in June. It says Apple hired five people from A123 and tried to lure others LG Chem, Samsung Electronics, Panasonic, Toshiba and Johnson Controls, according to the lawsuit.