Apple Inc. has secured a permit to test autonomous vehicles in California, supporting speculations that it is delving into self-driving automotive technology.

The permit would allow the Cupertino company to conduct test drives for three vehicles with six drivers in them, the State's Department of Motor Vehicles announced on Friday. The vehicles are all 2015 Lexus RX450h. Although it has never acknowledged that it is looking into building an electrical automotive, Apple has recruited dozens of car specialists in recent years.

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"This does confirm what's long been rumored: that Apple is at least toying with the idea of getting into the autonomous game in some capacity," said Chris Theodore, President of consultancy Theodore & Associates, and a former VP at Ford Motor Company and Chrysler.

The permit does not necessarily mean Apple is building an automobile. A representative/spokesperson from the company declined to comment on the filing, pointing to a press release that the corporation submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) late last year.

After a five-page letter in November from Apple's director of product integrity, Steve Kenner, to the NHTSA, the tech firm came under increased speculation that it might enter into the competitive self-driving area.

At that point, Apple said it had provided comments to the NHTSA "because Apple is investing heavily in machine learning and autonomous systems."

Apple executives have been coy concerning their interest in cars. The company's Chief Executive Tim Cook has noted that Apple needs to incorporate its smartphones into vehicle infotainment systems.

Apple joins a growing list of carmakers, technology firms, and small start-ups to test drive cars in California - all vying to be the first to have commercially viable vehicles on the roads. Companies have been issued permits to test cars in the city include Alphabet Inc's Google unit, Ford Motor Co, Volkswagen Ag, Daimler AG, Tesla Motors Inc., and General Motors Co.

Many car companies have said that their first cars could be launched by 2020. However, some specialists believe it would take much longer because of regulatory challenges.