Uber might be looking to build up its own fleet of vehicles for the first time, and it wants the cars to drive themselves.
Uber is reportedly looking to purchase 100,000 Mercedes Benz S-class sedans. That's according to a German magazine that cites sources from both companies.
There are reasons to be skeptical here. For one, that purchase could potentially add up to around $9 billion, which seems like a lot, even for Uber. Plus, there are the manufacturing logistics of creating another 100,000 luxury cars.
But if Uber wants to acquire its own vehicles, it marks a pretty big shift for the company. It has made no secret it's working with autonomous car technology at a facility in Pittsburgh.
The company's business model is based around contracted drivers using their own personal vehicles. A fleet of fully autonomous vehicles would eliminate the need for drivers and a huge expense.
The Mercedes Benz S-class has some autonomous features, but it isn't fully self-driving just yet. Company execs say that isn't expected until 2020, which happens to be when analysts think self-driving cars could start appearing on U.S. roads.
This video includes clips from Uber and Mercedes-Benz.
