With the auto industry on the verge of its self-driving future, insiders and car enthusiasts have been gearing up for a clash of the titans, pitting the lumbering giants of Detroit against the nimble disruptors of Silicon Valley.

But a new blockbuster deal between Ford and Google to jointly produce autonomous vehicles is the strongest sign yet that the much-anticipated day of reckoning may never come.

Look, no hands: Google is expected to partner with Ford to make autonomous vehicles, such as its less than sleek "Toaster". Credit:Getty Images

When Google first started developing and testing its self-driving car technology it used modified production vehicles – mostly Toyota Prius and Lexus RX hybrids – to test its laser-based sensing system.

But the technology remained something of an oddity in the minds of auto industry professionals until May 2014, when Google revealed its first self-driving prototype.