Tesla’s chief designer says Apple’s iPhone and car are ‘nothing to look forward to’

Apple products are ‘just a slight refinement on the same thing’ and ‘inspirationally ... hard to get super motivated by’ said Franz von Holzhausen

Tesla’s design chief Franz von Holzhausen has said that any car being built by Apple is “nothing to look forward to”.

The designer, who is responsible for the designs of the Tesla Model S, 3, X, and Y as well as the Cybertruck, made the comments in a podcast with Spike Feresten of Spike’s Car Radio.

The sad part about Apple products now is like there’s nothing to look forward to”, Mr Holzhausen said.

“I feel like it’s just a continuation. It’s just a slight refinement on the same thing. Inspirationally, it’s been hard to get super motivated by what they’re doing.”

Mr Holzhausen also criticised Apple’s main wearable, the Apple Watch, saying that he wears it “just because of the fitness thing side to it. Otherwise I haven’t really found much purpose to it, other than the fitness part.”

Apple did not respond to a request for comment from The Independent before time of publication.

Tesla chief executive Elon Musk has taken shots at the smartphone giant on numerous occasions, including making the claim that Apple is a “Tesla graveyard” - alleging that the tech giant was hiring former staff that could not make it within Tesla.

“We always jokingly call Apple the ‘Tesla Graveyard.’ If you don’t make it at Tesla, you go work at Apple. I’m not kidding,” Mr Musk said in 2015.

Last year, it was also reported that Mr Musk tried to sell Tesla to Apple in 2017, but Apple head Tim Cook “refused” to meet with him.

“During the darkest days of the Model 3 program, I reached out to Tim Cook to discuss the possibility of Apple acquiring Tesla (for 1/10 of our current value). He refused to take the meeting,” tweeted Mr Musk.

In a book by Wall Street Journal reporter Tim Higgins, it was also claimed that Elon Musk demanded to become Apple’s chief executive in a 2016 phone call, “according to a former aide who heard (Musk’s) retelling of the exchange.” However, Mr Musk has denied this. “Cook & I have never spoken or written to each other ever”, he tweeted.

Apple’s car, which has been rumoured for years and could launch in 2024, is still kept under tight wraps but there has been speculation about what the vehicle could look like from patents Apple has submitted.

It is thought that the Apple Car could have Siri integration, a customisable driver dashboard, and “adaptive doors”. While patents do not guarantee that a feature will be included, they are a clear indication of the types of technology that a company is researching.