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Rumours are rife about Apple's supposed car-building endeavour, and it appears that they aren't going to let up anytime soon – Cupertino now looks to be protecting itself legally on the off chance that it actually is going to start making vehicles.

According to Swiss Apple portal ApfelBlog.ch, the company has engaged its regular law firm Baker & McKenzie in Zurich to expand its corporate description as a manufacturer of its usual computers, smartphones, tablets and watches to include vehicles and even aircraft as well.

Specifically, Apple is now listed as a maker of vehicles, including "Apparatus for locomotion by land, air or water; electronic hardware components for motor vehicles, rail cars and locomotives, ships and aircraft; Anti-theft devices; Theft alarms for vehicles; Bicycles; Golf carts; Wheelchairs; Air pumps; Motorcycles; Aftermarket parts (after-market parts) and accessories for the aforesaid goods."

Of course, this piece of information doesn't mean that Apple is actually building a car – it could simply be a preemptor preventing others from using its name on their own vehicles – but it does add to a mountain of clues that could indicate that the project, said to be codenamed "Titan," is indeed real.

Among them are rumours that the company is planning to build its first electric vehicle by the year 2020, an incredibly short timeframe for a firm developing and manufacturing a car from scratch. To help it embark on this undoubtedly daunting journey, Apple is said to have already hired "several hundred people" to work in a "secret lab" – including automotive designers and specialists in the fields of mechanics, manufacturing and robotics – and has even met up with key personnel from contract manufacturer Magna Styer.