I always found it a little convenient that the car project was cancelled just after Vision Pro was launched.

If you wanted to collect real world AR sensor suite data for your top-secret headset project what would be the best way to hide it from competitors?

By making it stupidly large and bolting it to the top of a car you could collect all the data you wanted safe in the knowledge that your competitors, constantly looking to get the jump on you, would be chasing wild geese.

Your company even has the spare cash to build a racetrack and leak all sorts of false info to the press.

Once your headset launches you have all the user data to help R&D and no longer need the 'car project' as cover.