Google and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles are said to be on the verge of a historic deal that could make the commercialization of self-driving cars possible. The alleged alliance was first reported by AutoExtremist and confirmed by Reuters, which claimed that the official announcement will be made by both companies "soon."
The rumor about the Google and Chrysler partnership for a self-driving car seemed to be confirmed by Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne himself when he revealed that they are talking with an "advanced technology company." He did not name the company or the details of their discussions, according to the report.
Google has been adamant about forging a partnership with an established automaker for the concept, as it acknowledged its limitations to put the concept into a reality. John Krafcik, Google CEO for the self-driving car project, said as much during an interview as he said that it takes a lot of partnerships to make it work.
However, his pitch appeared to fall on deaf ears as automakers are apprehensive about being relegated too suppliers in the deal. If the rumor about the Google and Chrysler deal is true, it appears that Fiat finds no such problem in that scenario. Earlier, there were talks about Google and Ford producing self-driving cars, but nothing came of it.
But Detroit Free Press said the deal between Google and Chrysler for a self-driving car makes a lot of sense. The column from Brent Snavely claimed that Fiat's R&D on autonomous vehicles leave much to be desired and this is the kind of partnership that could propel the company forward.
There's also the matter of production capacity and Fiat has plenty to offer after stopping the rollout of the Dodge Dart and Chrysler 200. The company can redirect its two plants in Belvidere and Warren to focus on producing prototypes for the self-driving car for Google.
