Ever since Nokia put its Here mapping division up for sale, members of the automotive industry has been trying to claim it for their own. Now it seems we have a winner, with strong rumours indicating that members from Daimler, BMW and Audi have teamed up to buy it for about US$2.7 billion.
That may not sound like it makes a lot of sense, especially when you consider that it’s valued at only US$785 million. Why are the three rival companies teaming up and why would they pay so much for it? Well, Nokia’s Here is one of the leading mapping companies. Its services are utilised by over 70% and buying it gives the new owners access to a lot of great ways to gain access to new data.
Not only does Here have a fleet of camera and LIDAR-equipped vehicles, but it also gets raw data from a number of trucking companies. By purchasing the company, Daimler, BMW and Audi not only protect their access to the maps it already relies on, but they also gain the right tools for their autonomous driving programmes. While the news isn’t official, it’s still from credible sources. Other companies who were looking into purchasing Here included Uber, Apple and a number of other car and tech companies.
