> Apple will be seen as a visionary for optimizing the car manufacturing process (no more designing for multiple types of configuration types, can buy all parts in bulk, ...).

There are two types of product in the computing world: shameless ripoffs of Apple products and rough prototypes for some future Apple product.

Guess this would make the Model T the "rough prototype" for the Apple Car...

Ford even used to make Apple-like demands of his supply chain. He insisted that parts be shipped in crates conforming to specific, peculiar dimensions. The suppliers were baffled by the request -- why those dimensions? Until a supplier representative looked down at the floor of a Model T one day... the crates had been broken down to form floorboards for the car.