Apple and Google surprise Daimler with their progress on cars

You’d think that the head of Daimler would have little to worry about from Silicon Valley right now given his company’s technological progress, but there is apparently a good reason to be nervous. CEO Dieter Zetsche tells Welt am Sonntag that a visit to tech companies in the Valley left Daimler convinced that Apple and Google “can do more and know more” about cars than previously thought. That’s no mean feat when Google’s self-driving car efforts are still rough around the edges, and Apple hasn’t even acknowledged its plans — what do you know that we don’t, Dieter? He’s glad that the companies have “more respect” for Daimler’s work than he suspected, but something tells us that Mercedes-Benz will be stepping up its game regardless.

This wasn’t just a whistle stop tour, though. Zetsche added that he and a managerial team met 70 Silicon Valley companies during their trip, and there were “concrete talks” with at least some of those firms. In other words, it won’t be shocking if the folks in Stuttgart forge a few tech-driven partnerships in the near future.

Engadget