Photo: Daimler
For carmakers to reach the same level as Google and Apple in terms of software development would require colossal sums of money and more time and human resources than they can afford.
Speaking to quarterly magazine Deutsche Unternehmerboerse about possible collaborations with the two American giants, Zetsche said: "Many things are conceivable."
The times when the engine, transmission and chassis were the undisputed most important components of a car are coming to an end. Nowadays, in-car technology is emerging as one of the features that sit highest on customers' interest list.
With the apparently imminent advent of the autonomous and connected cars, technology and software will play an even more important role. Companies already specialized in operating systems and software for mobile devices are the obvious choice for suddenly becoming an integral part of the automotive industry.
"Google and Apple want to provide system software for cars and bring this entire ecosystem around Apple and Google into the vehicle," Zetsche said. "That can be interesting for both sides."
If the inter-connected network of cars is indeed to be achieved, some sort of standardization is in order. Google and Apple currently offer two different (even if similar) platforms, but surely the two companies could easily find a way towards full compatibility between their products.
Zetsche sees a future in which Daimler is building cars as part of a joint venture, using digital expertise from its newly found partners. He's quick to add, though, that any such ideas are purely theoretical at the moment, so don't try to read more than there is to it.
However, the CEO made it very clear Daimler will not become a 'dumb' supplier, producing cars that would later be sold by the two American companies under their own (or a different) name. "We don't want to become contractors who have no direct content with customers anymore and supply hardware to third parties," he said. That would be really hard to imagine right now.
The times when the engine, transmission and chassis were the undisputed most important components of a car are coming to an end. Nowadays, in-car technology is emerging as one of the features that sit highest on customers' interest list.
With the apparently imminent advent of the autonomous and connected cars, technology and software will play an even more important role. Companies already specialized in operating systems and software for mobile devices are the obvious choice for suddenly becoming an integral part of the automotive industry.
"Google and Apple want to provide system software for cars and bring this entire ecosystem around Apple and Google into the vehicle," Zetsche said. "That can be interesting for both sides."
If the inter-connected network of cars is indeed to be achieved, some sort of standardization is in order. Google and Apple currently offer two different (even if similar) platforms, but surely the two companies could easily find a way towards full compatibility between their products.
Zetsche sees a future in which Daimler is building cars as part of a joint venture, using digital expertise from its newly found partners. He's quick to add, though, that any such ideas are purely theoretical at the moment, so don't try to read more than there is to it.
However, the CEO made it very clear Daimler will not become a 'dumb' supplier, producing cars that would later be sold by the two American companies under their own (or a different) name. "We don't want to become contractors who have no direct content with customers anymore and supply hardware to third parties," he said. That would be really hard to imagine right now.
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