German automotive rivals are realizing that they must team up to attack the costs and challenges of developing the key technologies that will drive the future of automotive. Automotive News is reporting (subscription required) that Audi is joining the Daimler / BMW alliance to develop advanced autonomous driving systems. According to the article, Audi will announce this at the Frankfurt auto show in September. This is also an acknowledgement that traditional auto companies have to join forces to compete against the Silicon Valley competition like Alphabet’s Waymo. These auto companies already work together after acquiring Nokia’s mapping business in 2015, which is now called HERE. And last year, BMW and Daimler combined their mobility services Car2Go and DriveNow. We also see these types of alliances with other auto companies – GM and Honda, as well as Ford and VW. Who will win? One or more of the traditional auto company alliances? Or Silicon Valley? Or maybe the autonomous mobility world won’t be a zero sum game.
German Auto Companies are Partnering on Autonomous
