Google is in talks with Ford to develop autonomous cars, following an announcement last week that Ford had been given a licence to test self-driving cars on public roads in California.
While the two companies have not made public any details about what the partnership would involve, a Reuters source claimed that the pair have been holding discussions for months. A possible outcome of any partnership could be the joint development and build-out of autonomous cars, the source said.
Certainly, such a partnership would make sense. Google has made enormous strides in autonomous car technology over the past few years, and is considered far ahead of any of the big automotive manufacturers. However, the search giant has no infrastructure or know-how on the build-out of mass-market automobiles – an area where Ford, one of the world’s largest carmakers, could help.
Neither company said anything about the talks. Reuters quoted a Google spokesperson as saying that the company will not comment on rumour or speculation. A Ford spokesperson, meanwhile, told the news agency that Ford is working with many companies and discussing a variety of subjects.
However, several news outlets have since reported that the two companies may in fact be discussing a partnership that will see Ford build Google’s commercial generation of autonomous vehicles.
