The first driverless cars could
hit the roads in five years, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) CEO
Sergio Marchionne said Friday.
He said he was more optimistic about them after FCA started
working with Google on one.
FCA and Google are close to reaching a deal to create
driverless cars, media reports said earlier this week. The
agreement between Marchionne and the head of the Google Car
project, John Krafcik, is set to be announced imminently,
according to the reports.
The Wall Street Journal daily reported on the planned deal
in recent days, but Marchionne declined to comment while
attending a presentation in Turin.
FCA is set to create 100 prototypes for Google by the end
of the year, according to the reports. The driverless car is
reported to be a version of the Chrysler brand Pacifica minivan
presented at the Detroit auto show in January.
Marchionne said Friday that the fleet of 100 Chrysler
Pacifica minivans would look "physically different" after Google
installs its sensors and self-driving technology, the Detroit
Free Press reported.
"I think we offered the Pacifica because it was the most
suitable," the article quoted Marchionne as saying. "The
electric architecture of the Pacifica is strong enough to hold
all of the technology Google wanted".
"It would be incredibly naive on my part to think that I am
the only guy on the planet talking to Google," he went on to
say. "If Google calls you, you normally answer".
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