Emerging Technologies Blog

Few weeks ago, Theguardian reported that Google has its own car company called ''Google Autos LLC''.According to document obtained by the UK's news website, Google has been quietly running its  under the subsidiary since 2011. Google Autos LLC is the manufacturer of its retrofitted Lexus RX450h self-driving cars you see cruising around its Silicon Valley headquarters and more recently, in Austin,Texas.Part of the reason Google founded the company, besides avoiding lawsuits, is to have its own fleets of self-driving taxis all bearing the Google Auto brand.

Today, news broke out that Google has hired former Hyundai US CEO John Krafcik as CEO of its 6-year-old self-driving car project, which aims to bring cars that can take you and I anywhere at the push of a button by 2020.The person who heads the program, Chris Urmson, will now take the role of technical director once Krafcik starts work later this month.

Prior to accepting the offer to join the Google driverless car program, Krafcik was the CEO and President of  the car pricing website Truecar. He spent 10 years at Hyundai Motors America where he was CEO of the south Korean auto giant for 5 years and, also an engineer at Ford for 14 years, as well as an engineer for the New United Motor Manufacturing Inc.(NUMMI), a former General Motors-Toyota joint venture plant.

Bringing in Krafcik to its self-driving car program is a good decision by Google.He is well known and respected in the automotive industry. He understands the market very well and knows how to market vehicles to the general public. He did it with Hyundai when he improved sales at a time when car sales in the US were down.And was bold enough to tell automakers to stand on their feet and not run to the government for support. Welcome John Krafcik!