A newer dishwasher has 1 or 2 simple processors running it. A new Mercedes, BMW, or similar sedan has well over 100 computers and processors, some not-so-simple, running all its systems. And it would be very difficult to meet current new car emission and safety standards without many of them.
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Apple Car Development Speeds Up, 2019 Launch Date Targeted
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A newer dishwasher has 1 or 2 simple processors running it. A new Mercedes, BMW, or similar sedan has well over 100 computers and processors, some not-so-simple, running all its systems. And it would be very difficult to meet current new car emission and safety standards without many of them.
+ tax.I predict $30,000 starting price. $40k max starting price.
Hopefully they do pre-orders.
tax 
It's still a car without any computers inside... Now do the reverse, remove everything but the computers, how much of a car is it? Also, I'm obviously talking about the autonomous self washing dish washer of the future that will also make you a sandwich on command.. Lots of computers in that..
Agree for now ...
However, electricity generated by renewable sources (which seems to be more viable than biofuels IMO) can't power an internal combustion engine.
The way this whole IoT business is going, everything will be a computer in a few years.
I'd make a joke about an Apple Shirt, but that already exists.
Very well put. Additionally, by switching gradually to hybrid, or better yet all-electric cars, we'll be better positioned for when the time comes (and it will) that research into, and attempts at making Nuclear Fusion feasible as a virtually pollution free and exceedingly abundant source for generating electricity, becomes reality. We're counting on you Cern!
Until then, more efficient versions of solar farms, windmills, ocean current turbines (aka Marine Current Power), and even batteries themselves will continue to be developed.
Edited for clarity.
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HomeKit may be their "hobby" for researching household robots. With increasing elder care requirements amidst declining birth rates among most 1st world states, there may well be a huge growth market for design-centered consumer friendly robotics.
The i3 is such an ugly vehicle, why can't manufactures make a decent looking electric vehicle. Telsa is the only one that doesn't look like total crap. Just my opinion.
What will their target market be for a car?
Apple has great experience in making software user friendly. They also have a tendency to make things "safe" (eg no adult content in the App Store). Focus on making things easy to use and shiny.
So they probably aren't targeting the performance car market (ie German cars), nor the boy racer market (Japanese cars).
My gut tells me they will be competing against cars like the Mini and perhaps the VW Bug/Golf.
Is that a big enough market to "bet the company" on?
Apple has great experience in making software user friendly. They also have a tendency to make things "safe" (eg no adult content in the App Store). Focus on making things easy to use and shiny.
So they probably aren't targeting the performance car market (ie German cars), nor the boy racer market (Japanese cars).
My gut tells me they will be competing against cars like the Mini and perhaps the VW Bug/Golf.
Is that a big enough market to "bet the company" on?
Absolutely awfully ugly. Apple are completely out of their mind, they have not released or been slated to released one VR glasses, TV, drone or whatever, their Apple Watch is a failure already, and they're switching to a completely different industry they have no hold, understand of starting with such ugly ID?
Does anyone have a comparison between a Tesla's carbon footprint and a regular sedan?
You're probably joking, but in case not: that myth has been debunked. It's obviously true that an electric car is not emission-free unless the local power plant is too. But certainly less polluting than gasoline—a situation which only improves further as we go forward, thanks to increasing use of renewable sources for electricity.
There are many articles you could look at for layman's overview of the science; but here's a concise one:
http://www.popsci.com/cars/article/2013-05/does-tesla-model-s-electric-car-pollute-more-suv
Science sometimes tells us things we emotionally don't want to hear. But we'll survive the mental pain of the electric transition
Hopefully sooner rather than later—which requires more charging points, something I can see Apple having the power to push for!LOL, you do know there are other ways to generate electricity, besides coal, several of which have zero emissions. And also it's easier to to make a large low emissions power source, but much, much harder to make such a power source that works for a car.
I guess if you want to ignore reality, then yeah, it's all politics.
Sure you can: a switch to electric power (whether its battery or fuel cell) is an opportunity to completely re-think the design and manufacture of cars, and someone like Apple could start with a clean slate without being shackled by their existing internal-combustion-geared factories and boardroom conservatives.
The only real snag is that the "Apple difference" would be pretty similar to the "Tesla difference" (but without the giving-away-patents bit). However, not being first-to-market never hurt Apple before, and however laudable it is, Tesla might live to regret that giving-away-patents stuff.
Also, look up the details on the BMW i3 yet and look past the "Jonny ives would gnaw off his own hands first" cosmetics - its a pretty radical difference, enabled by electric drive, but is BMW actually going to let it compete with the rest of their range?
Why would it need to be cheaper than a Tesla? Last I looked, Telsas were selling OK because Telsa have positioned them as luxury cars. Apple would probably take the same approach as with computers and phones: just don't bother about the cut-throat, low-margin cheap end of the market - aim for the deeper pockets who aren't going to abandon you because the competition undercuts you by 5%.
Ohh! Fox News!! (as your science source) Why didn't you say so?!
Ok. You win.
Not a new one that you could legally register and drive on public roads. (Old cars that violate current emissions and safety are often grandfathered.).
Pull all the computers out of a modern F series or Indy race car and it couldn't even be started.
I do have to wonder if the first Apple car will be reasonably priced. And by that I mean around $30,000. My reasoning is that Apple wants electric cars to take off because of the environmental benefit and the widespread acceptance of the technology. Then they will add higher-end models that are fast, or have AWD, or use premium components and self-driving features, etc. My car is really old and I've been driving it since high school. I was planning to finally upgrade it next year with a Subaru Outback or something good for a young family. Wish I could wait until 2020. I doubt it will come out before then, but I bet the first version will be somewhat smaller and not the best for a family car.
Any news from Otterbox on their Apple car armour case turning the car into a submarine AND a tank at the same time yet?