Google’s self-driving car may not be available for several more years, but that hasn’t stopped the internet company to start talking to big car brands about how to bring its developing self-driving-car technology to market, executives said Tuesday.
Chris Urmson, who leads Google’s driverless car program, was quoted by The Wall Street Journal as saying that the company’s futuristic car – which has been touted by Google (GOOGL) founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin as revolutionary technology that could eventually sharply reduce fatalities on the road – is probably still six years away. But, he added, “We are thinking now about how to bring this car to market.”
Urmson and others said Google, whose talks with automakers late last year about incorporating its driverless car technology into their vehicles failed to yield a partnership, hasn’t decided whether to build its own cars or license the technology to automakers.
“We’re trying to figure that out now,” Urmson said, adding that the search giant is talking regularly to well-known auto makers, without citing specific names.
Google’s car looks like a regular vehicle but it uses several sensors incorporated into it and navigates through streets and highways without human intervention.
Google has not provided a firm date for when its futuristic cars will be available. Co-founder Brin has said the technology that Google started developing five years ago through its Google X division could be available by 2017.
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