Google seems to have secretly set up a car company

According to government documents, Google has set up its own car company, allowing it to sell cars to consumers itself. Initially, Google Auto was used to house the tests with self-driving cars, but the company seems to have bigger ambitions.

The documents in question showing that Google itself has started a car company have come into the hands of The Guardian. The British newspaper obtained the documents by invoking the American equivalent of the Public Disclosure Act. The documents refer to Google Auto, a company that received a license last year in the US state of California to make its own cars. In addition, Google has registered its subsidiary with authorities in several countries, making it a known car manufacturing company there. It is not clear, however, which countries are involved.

According to The Guardian, Chris Urmson is in charge of Google Auto. Urmson is already head of the department at Google that tests self-driving cars. The documents show that the company Google Auto is also used for the production of Google’s self-driving cars. The intention is that about a hundred small, electrically powered cars will be produced, the company said earlier. Earlier it seemed that Google wanted to release its own cars in collaboration with a partner from the car industry.

It is unclear if and when Google could start selling cars itself. The company is currently testing self-driving cars and declined to comment on The Guardian’s coverage. It is therefore likely that activities such as car sales will take some time to materialize. However, setting up and registering a car company shows that Google has great ambitions.