Mercedes, BMW & Audi to buy Nokia HERE?

A high value deal in the automotive industry is reportedly on the verge of going through. German luxury car makers BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi are close to finalizing a deal involving the purchase of Nokia's digital mapping service i.e. Nokia HERE. According to the report by the Wall Street Journal, the German titan three have agreed to pay around $2.7 billion for the service.

If the deal goes through, the trio is expected to invite manufacturers like Ford, Toyota, Fiat Chrysler, Renault, Peugeot-Citroen and GM to invest in Nokia HERE, and run the service as an open platform. Given that HERE is a highly advanced digital map of the world's road networks, manufacturers can make the use of it for future autonomous driving and safety technology. The move is also being seen as an attempt to safeguard the interests of car manufacturers from tech giants like Google and Apple, who have been branching into the automotive industry.

Autonomous car technology will greatly rely on digital maps with real-time information about road and traffic conditions. The immediate implications for the technology are relatively low, but with self-driving cars getting closer to entering the mainstream, Nokia HERE can have a big role to play. Services like Nokia HERE are developing collaborative systems that would allow each car to upload data to a cloud-based computer network as it moves down a certain path. This information is then available in real time for users. While the flow of real-time updates will aid convenience for motorists, it is crucial for self driven vehicles.