It's no secret that Google has been slowly but surely finding its way into the automotive industry, as it's already been working with manufacturers to build self-driving cars for quite some time. However, according to Amir Efrati, a former star reporter for the Wall Street Journal, the software giant is looking to drive a few extra miles down that road by designing and building cars of its own. The company has been in talks with component suppliers like Continental AG and Magna International in the hopes that it could put together an entire car under Google's command. The idea, Efrati says, is to put more pressure on car brands to develop autonomous driving tech, regardless of if Google is directly involved or not.

So what would Google do with such a vehicle built under its direct supervision and brand? One idea on the drawing board is a "robo-taxi" service, which is exactly how it sounds: a self-driving car would come and pick you up and drop you off at your destination; at first, a human would need to be behind the wheel just in case, but that could easily change as the tech progresses and becomes more reliable. Steer toward the source link for a few more details about the thought process behind Google's efforts.