Alphabet, Fiat Chrysler working toward self-driving car tie-up - report

Google parent Alphabet may soon have a major ally in its push toward autonomous vehicles, as the company is said to be "in the late stage of talks" with London-based Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.

There is no word on exactly what the deal might entail, but it is unlikely to include Google-branded vehicles, according to the Wall Street Journal. The company would instead sell its self-driving car technology to FCA.

Google executives have repeatedly signaled their firm's unwillingness to become a carmaker itself. The few vehicles Google has produced in house are testbeds and technology demonstrators, not precursors to a Google Car.

FCA is one of a number of stalwart auto companies that are working toward broader technology partnerships.

Earlier Thursday, Volkswagen — the largest car manufacturer in the world — denied reports that it was itself in talks with Google or Apple for Volkswagen's new "digital mobility platform." The German company is more likely to work with domestic rivals Mercedes or BMW, both of whom have also acted coolly toward California firms.

16 Comments

thewhitefalcon 4444 comments · 10 Years

About 8 years ago

FCA is on the verge of bankruptcy, perfect partner for Google.

pmz 3429 comments · 15 Years

I'm sure they'll have a great time watching it drive around their parking lots, while the rest of the universe continues to not care at all about self driving cars.

It pisses me off to think of the money they are sinking in these projects, meanwhile they can't even rollout CarPlay.

gatorguy 24597 comments · 13 Years

pmz said:

I'm sure they'll have a great time watching it drive around their parking lots, while the rest of the universe continues to not care at all about self driving cars.

It pisses me off to think of the money they are sinking in these projects, meanwhile they can't even rollout CarPlay.

Except that drivers DO care about self-driving operation. For example my wife spent a few thousand extra on her latest car so as to include their latest safety features. Some of those included sensors that detect an obstruction/stopped vehicle and bring her vehicle to a stop even if she isn't paying attention and fails to push the brake. There's also sensors that put the car into auto-mode, maintaining speed with other traffic while maintaining a safe distance from the vehicle ahead of you, no driver input required (that one is a bit irritating as I would disagree on safe distance). Yet another feature auto-dims the headlight high-beams if it detects on-coming traffic, then returning to high output after the vehicle passes by. Those are self-driving features. There's newer vehicles out there now with many more autonomous features. Her's is almost old-school in comparison.

wdowell 234 comments · 15 Years

London-based ?! Would love to know how that has become about (assuming that's accurate!) [Update: well, well, well.. funny how Tax works really isnt it! ... Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, also known as FCA, is an Italian-American multinational [7][8] and currently the world’s seventh-largest auto maker.[9] The group was established in 2014 by merging Fiat S.p.A. into a new holding company incorporated in the Netherlands with headquarters in London, UK. The holding company, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V., is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and Borsa Italiana in Milan.[10] Exor S.p.A, an Italian investment group owned by the Agnelli family, holds a 44.31% voting interest in FCA, and 29.19% ownership position.[11]]

ceek74 324 comments · 12 Years

Alphagoogle is soooooo innovative! What do they make again, besides hype?