A leaked information states that tech giant Google is collaborating with Ford Motors about autonomous vehicle technology. An official partnership announcement will take place as early as the 2016 CES.
There have been reports that tech giant Google has been in talks with multinational automaker Ford over autonomous vehicle developments. The reported discussion involves an agreement where the carmaker will be building autonomous vehicles for Google. However, it is not clear if the vehicles are just dedicated variants for the tech hulk or versions of the existing Ford Blue Oval with self-navigation systems.
The news was first reported by Automotive News, which cited a Google spokesperson familiar with the matter. Ford Motors spokesperson, Alan Hall, neither denied nor confirmed the dealings, but the source said that the dealings have taken place for some time now. A public announcement may come as early as the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, which will be running on Jan. 6, 2016, through Jan. 9, 2016.
This news came right after Google made it public that the tech giant will be making autonomous cars as a standalone business under the multinational conglomerate company, Alphabet Inc. The business is a cab-like service with autonomous technology that would be making a start in confined areas like military bases or corporate campuses.
Collaborating with Ford makes a lot of sense. The tech giant has already made close ties with Ford's Alan Mulally, who was a former CEO at Ford, and now is one of Google's board of directors along with John Krafcik, who worked with the automaker for 14 years and is now head of the tech giant's autonomous car development.
An existing and well-known car manufacturer that will be supplying Google with cars will save the company billions of dollars in having to design a vehicle from scratch, which includes passing complex and costly certifications for crash safety and emission tests.
