The latest remarks by Google executives suggest that the company is planning to avoid becoming a vehicle manufacturer. The company is assessing how it delivers a self-driving car, but appears keen to work with established suppliers on the project.
The company's managing director for Germany, Austria and Switzerland, Philipp Justus, told Reuters at the Frankfurt auto show that the company is working on cars in partnership with the auto industry, but was not planning to become a car manufacturer. "That is not something we could do alone," Justus told the news agency, adding that Google's partners included automotive suppliers Bosch and ZF. "Google also does not intend to become a car manufacturer," he added.
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Google has recently hired auto industry veteran John Krafcik in a move being seen as an attempt to boost its automotive strategy. Google has shown driverless car prototypes and is preparing a strategy to address the automotive business space, as is arch-rival Apple.
Krafcik, currently president of TrueCar, an online trading business, previously led Hyundai's US business. He will join Google as CEO of the company's automotive unit, which is heavily focused on developing driverless cars.
