Samsung enters the battle to develop self-driven vehicles

Earlier this week, the German trio of Audi, Mercedes-Benz and BMW acquired Nokia’s mapping division HERE to develop location services for the future of self-driven cars while Chinese researchers also unveiled a car, a few days ago, that drives simply on brain signals. And now, it is Samsung’s turn to rival already existing competitors in the smart vehicles market – Apple and Google, under vice chairman Kwon Oh-hyun, who has long managed Samsung's electronics component business.

The automotive industry represents a potentially large business growth area for companies like Samsung, particularly in a time when new cars are increasingly feature-focussed, and consumers are more accustomed to the idea of smart technology in their vehicle.

Analysts highlight that global electronics makers are engaged in a fierce competition to supply the growing automobile industry that plans to have autonomous (driverless) vehicles loaded with electronic sensors and displays on the market within five years.

It is to common knowledge that Google has been testing self-driven cars for close to a decade with Apple all set to enter the fray soon. In October, LG Electronics said it will be selling key vehicle components to General Motors for its new electric vehicle due to be mass-produced starting in late 2016.

While no timeframe was mentioned when Samsung components might become available to manufacturers, this development has sure called for exciting times ahead in the smart vehicle quarters.