UPDATE: Google Will No Longer Develop Its Own Car, Will Partner With Automotive Industry
Fiat Chrysler will produce the prototype.
Google has been developing self-driving cars for a while now, but according to a report from The Information, it will now refocus its automotive strategy. The new plan is away from developing fully autonomous cars without a steering wheel and pedals and instead shifting towards partnering with the auto industry to make more conventional cars. Fiat Chrysler will produce a prototype vehicle for the tech giant, based on the Pacifica minivan platform. There could possibly be an autonomous ride-share service as well by the end of 2017. The decision to shift focus is believed to have come from Alphabet CEO Larry Page and CFO Ruth Porat. Stay tuned for more updates.
UPDATE: The new self-driving unit will become a standalone named Waymo and will not be part of Google X but will still be under the Alphabet umbrella as an independent entity. Waymo stands for “Way forward in mobility” and will have the mission of making “it safe and easy for people and things to move around” says CEO John Krafcik.
