Is Daimler Going To Collaborate With Apple Or Google?

Daimler is joining the growing number of automakers realizing that in order to build next-generation cars, they are going to require input from telecoms and software experts. Now, the company has stated it is open to the possibility of partnerships with tech giants such as Apple and Google to advance its efforts in building the next generation of smart cars.

“Google and Apple want to provide system software for cars and bring this entire ecosystem around Apple and Google into the vehicle,” Daimler CEO Dieter Zesche said to German quarterly magazine Deutsche Unternehmerboerse. “That can be interesting for both sides.”

He added that, “We don’t want to become contractors who have no direct contact with customers any more and supply hardware to third parties.”

Zesche’s comments come in the wake of German rival Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn exhorting collaboration with tech companies with a view to making future cars both safer and more intelligent. For Daimler, Zesche explains that one possibility is to build cars under a joint venture by putting the digital expertise of U.S. partners to use. However, no specific plans were revealed, and Zesche added that his comments were “purely theoretical.”

The line between automakers and technology companies is becoming increasingly blurred, due to the growing interest in connected cars and the potential future of self-driving vehicles. Apple is rumored to be working on developing its own autonomous car, known as “Project Titan,” and if Daimler can partner up with either Apple or Google, then the possibilities for futuristic auto developments are practically endless.

If Apple is truly working on its own car, it will require thorough testing and the design will have to be immaculate. Daimler would be able to bring its many years of engineering expertise to the table in addition to its well-proven design philosophies. And for Apple’s contribution, its premium design strategy and its fine attention to detail with software could help Mercedes to develop cars that will work efficiently with the hardware and software of future automobiles.

Is Apple going to one day reveal its plans for a car, and if it does, will it look like a Mercedes?