Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi have forged a rare partnership and are joining forces to acquire Nokia’s HERE mapping business, insiders suggest, hoping to cut reliance on Google. Rumors that HERE – which includes 3D mapping of road data, along with high-resolution scanning suitable for the next generation of self-driving cars – was up for sale broke in April, with potential suitors tipped to include both Amazon and Alibaba. Now, there are some big names in automotive said to be weighing in with a bid.

According to the WSJ’s sources, the three huge German automakers are temporarily putting aside their differences and teaming up against a potentially far more disruptive foe: Google.

The concern, it’s said, is that the search giant will not only continue its work on autonomous cars but take a similar approach to Android.
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