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Bring it on, Uber - Daimler CEO says luxury, driverless limousine service a ‘concrete development’ for Mercedes
Channel News Asia
Google Props Up Drifting Driverless Stock Index
Driverless Transportation
Propped up by Google (GOOG), the Driverless Transportation (D20) Stock Index gained 0.3 percent last week to finish up 0.47 points at 153.73. Buoyed by the Alphabet announcement, Google added $21.82 and its stock closed at $657.12 on Friday. Without Google’s rise, the D20 Index would have lost 1.71 points, or 1.1 percent. Google’s 3.4 percent gain was tops in the D20 which saw 12 losers and eight gainers last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, with a 0.6 percent gain, and the S&P 500, with a 0.7 percent gain, outperformed the D20.
The recent devaluation in the Chinese currency, the Yuan, has hurt the lucrative Chinese market for the luxury German automakers. Daimler (DDAIF), owner of the Mercedes-Benz brand, lost 6.3 percent of its value and finished the week down $5.79 to $86.21. Volkswagen (VLKPY), owner of the prestigious Audi brand, lost $1.60, or 3.9 percent, to end the week at $39.94. The French parts maker Valeo SA (VLEEY) also seemed to be affected by the devaluation. Its ADR shares lost 6.7 percent of their value to close the week at $65.30. Further devaluations of the Yuan could rattle the larger markets and negatively affect the D20 Index.
Visit the Driverless Transportation D20 Stock Index page to learn more about it and its component stocks.
Mercedes’ New E Class Set to Automate Driving at Highway Speeds
Bloomberg Business
Hackers a threat to driverless cars
IOL Motoring
Apple Ups Driverless Trans Stake With Two Buys
Stephen Feyer
Apple Inc. won’t say if it is working on driverless car technology, but two recent acquisitions suggest that the Cupertino, Calif.-based tech giant is doing exactly that.
News broke today that Apple bought Metaio, a German firm that offers ‘augmented reality’ technology for such clients as BMW and Macy’s. Metaio began in 2003 as a Volkswagen project, according to reports.
Augmented reality offers navigational directions, computer-generated, three-dimensional images, and other visuals.
Coherent’s technologies included “iGPS”, a system that combines signals from traditional GPS satellites and Iridium’s communications satellites to provide a location service with greater accuracy and signal strength than can be provided by GPS alone.
Whereas consumer GPS applications are limited to accuracy of about three meters, iGPS could provide location to a few centimeters – potentially accurate enough to guide a self-driving vehicle.
Apple has not commented on how it plans to use Coherent’s technology, which could also support location-based services delivered via smartphone. Over the past several years, Apple has used acquisitions as part of a strategy to eliminate its reliance on Google Maps.
With location playing an increasing role in companies’ strategies and services, Apple is not the only big player trying to create its own expertise in mapping. Nokia has attracted several bidders for its HERE subsidiary.
A number of firms, including Apple, have expressed an interested in purchasing HERE, with the price cited in the media of $3.5 billion.
In addition, a consortium that includes BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, and Baidu, has publicly declared its interest in buying HERE. Audi has invited other automakers to join their bid. HERE provides navigation data for 80 percent of new vehicles, and in-car systems provide the bulk of revenue for HERE.