Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Google are reportedly in the late stages of talks on a so-called ‘technical partnership.’
It’s long been rumoured that Google has been seeking to form links with established car makers, as it looks to turn its advanced self-driving car project into a commercial reality. The internet company doesn’t want to build cars itself, for obvious reasons.
According to AutoExtremist (via The Wall Street Journal), Google is close to reaching a ‘technical agreement’ with Italian-American multinational Fiat Chrysler after several months of talks.
Fiat Chrysler would appear to be a natural fit for Google. While it’s a major car maker – the seventh largest in the world, in fact – it doesn’t seem to have advanced plans in the self-driving car space. At least, not to the extent that rivals Ford and Volvo do.
Related: Best self-driving tech from the Geneva Motor Show
Google, meanwhile, is widely perceived to be the front-runner in autonomous car systems, with six years of research and 1.5 million test miles behind its efforts. All it lacks is the expertise and means to actually build cars at scale.
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Of course, this isn’t the first time that Google has been linked with a major car maker. Towards the end of 2015, it was reported that Google and Ford were teaming up to build self-driving cars. In fact, it was claimed that a completely new company would be formed from the collaboration.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
