Automakers, suppliers team up to share costs of self-driving cars

New autopilot features are demonstrated in a Tesla Model S during a Tesla event in Palo Alto, California. REUTERS/Beck Diefenbach

LAS VEGAS: Automotive suppliers and automakers are expanding alliances to develop self-driving car technology that can serve multiple automakers, as the race to put such vehicles on the road separates companies that can go it alone from those that need help sharing the financial and technical burdens. 

While some companies, such as Tesla Motors, General Motors and Ford Motor, are trying to develop proprietary driverless systems, a larger group of automakers appears to have decided it makes more sense to develop self-driving technology in collaboration with suppliers – as many other features such as anti-lock brakes or radar-enabled cruise control already are.