Ford and Google are expected to announce a deal they’ve signed in January in Las Vegas at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) according to Automotive News.
This would put Ford at the top of autonomous cars game as the brand would provide vehicles for Google’s internet connected and driverless cars. This, however, could lead one day to Google, Apple and other tech companies having produced computer driven cars in the face of traditional vehicles, which might become unfashionable and get fewer and fewer requests.
Elmar Degenhart, chairman of the German Continental AG car supplier has said in a recent interview that Google is more interested in getting launched on a new internet market than actually produce autonomous vehicles. He stated that “I do not believe that Google seriously intends to ever build cars itself.” Degenhart added for the German news agency DPA that “Google is trying to expand to other business fields – particularly because it has to demonstrate additional potential for growth. And Google is interested in developing the car as an additional source of information and data. Because we know the internet is a given at work and at home. The biggest blank spot in internet use today is the car.”
When it first started developing and testing its self-driving technology Google used modified vehicles, mostly Toyota Prius and Lexus RX hybrid models. Back in May 2014, Google showed off its first self-driving prototype and continued working on its plan regarding automous cars. And with a predicted future of car demand going down 40% in case of car evolution and affordable autonomous cars, Ford seems to have made the right choice and made a good business move.