Google, IBM to work with German company for 'self-driving' cars

Frankfurt: 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. [caption id=“attachment_1051133” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image of Google logo. AFP[/caption] 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