Frankfurt, Germany – German automotive parts maker Continental AG is close to agreeing alliances with Google and IBM to develop autonomous driving systems for cars, a German newspaper reported.
Daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung cited unspecified sources as saying Continental aims to unveil the two pacts at the Frankfurt Car Show in September.
Continental is already in an alliance with U.S. network equipment maker Cisco Systems to work on systems for automated and driverless automobiles and on data transfer between cars.
A Continental spokesman declined to comment. Spokespeople for Google and IBM in Germany were not immediately available for comment.
Google has been working on self-driving technology since 2010, including testing a fleet of self-driving cars along California roadways.
A raft of automakers including GM, Ford, Toyota and Volkswagen are developing computer-controlled features that help drivers avoid accidents. (REUTERS)
(Reporting by Ludwig Burger and Jan Schwartz; Editing by Louise Heavens)
