Companies working on self-driving cars have made more progress than assumes, said Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche after a recent trip to Silicon Valley.
Reuters cites a report in a German weekly newspaper, Welt am Sonntag, that quotes Zetsche after he visited companies like Apple and Google.
It’s well known that Google is developing a self-driving car, and rumours about Apple’s plans for a self-driving car have been around for a while. Apple has never confirmed any such plans, however.
"Our impression was that these companies can do more and know more than we had previously assumed. At the same time they have more respect for our achievements than we thought," Zetsche told the paper, according to Reuters.
In all, the Daimler and CEO and other company officials met with about 70 companies, including some start-ups, the report says.
"There were concrete talks. I will not say anything about the content. It was not just about the fact that there is an innovative spirit in the Valley. We know that already. We wanted to see what drives it, and all the things that can be created from it," Zetsche told the paper.