Is there a Google car in your future?
If the major automakers won't play, Google might design its own autonomous cars and work with contract manufacturers to build them, says a report on Jessica Lessin's blog.
The Google car may be more than a connection to the company's cloud and self-driving technology.
According to a report from Amir Efrati on Jessica Lessin's blog, Google has been talking to automakers and contract manufacturers about designing and developing a self-driving car to its specifications. The Google-designed autonomous cars could further disrupt the transportation industry with driverless "robo taxis" to get people to and from their destinations.
Coincidentally, Google's venture capital arm just invested $258 million in Uber, which connects human drivers with riders.
Google has been trying to work with the major automakers on its self-driving car initiative, but hasn't had much luck so far. Continental, a German automotive supplier, is reportedly establishing a partnership with Google and IBM for self-driving cars, according to a report in the Frankfurter Allgemeine on Thursday.
Whether Google becomes more like Tesla in building its own cars is uncertain, but the company seems committed to disrupting the transportation industry.