Amazon in talks to buy stake in HERE maps company with automakers: Report
Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos
Amazon is in talks to buy a stake in HERE maps from a consortium of German automakers, according to Reuters.
"Amazon would take a stake as part of a broader deal to lock them in as a provider of cloud computing services," one source "familiar with the talks" told the publication.
It's not clear how much of the company Amazon is seeking. HERE is focused on being cloud based and Amazon's involvement with cloud infrastructures for huge companies, like Apple, could make it a perfect candidate to serve data for in-car mapping.
Amazon would be buying a stake in the company with BMW, Audi, and Mercedes, who purchased the company in August 2015 for $2.8 billion.
"The new owners Audi, Daimler [Mercedes] and BMW have said from the start that they are open for new partners to join," BMW said in a statement. "We have noticed that there is lots of interest not only from potential partners from within the automotive industry, but also from other sectors."
We have reached out to Amazon for more.