Ford getting in to bed with Google to build autonomous cars

Ford and Google will reveal at the Consumer Electric Show (CES) in January that they are to create a new business to develop and build self-driving cars.

Google has been at the forefront of autonomous car technology, but we always wondered whether they’d build their own cars when the technology is ready, or partner with a car maker. Now, it looks like we have the answer.

Yahoo Autos is reporting – citing three sources – that an announcement will be made at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January that Ford and Google will partner in a new venture to develop and build self-driving cars.

There’s a lot of sense in the deal for both Ford and Google, with Google saving the huge cost of developing and building autonomous cars, and Ford getting access to the self-driving technology Google has spent so long developing.

It appears that Ford won’t be entering in to the venture directly, but will form a new company with Google to ensure the self-driving project is kept separate from Ford’s core business, especially as far as liability for any crashes whilst cars are being driven by a computer.

It’s also not clear whether Ford will build an entirely new ‘Google Car’, or whether it will use its existing range to implement the technology – or both.

We should find out more officially very soon, but with two giants like Ford and Google partnering up it could be a real watershed moment in the development – and acceptance – of automated driving technology.