Is another big player about to enter the market for mobility solutions? Although Aurora is keeping quiet about the precise amount that Amazon has contributed, the talk is of a “significant investment”. The startup was founded only two years ago and set itself the ambitious aim of bringing self-driving automobiles onto the market across the board. The heart of the strategy is the so-called Aurora Driver , a system of hardware, software and data services for operation of autonomous vehicles.

The Amazon investment is a continuation of a recent trend: tech firms of all sizes are making life difficult for traditional automobile manufacturers in future areas. That also explains why VW, BMW and Daimler are talking about a joint development alliance for autonomous driving, according to the “Handelsblatt” . It could save on costs running into the billions. According to the newspaper, the suppliers Bosch, Continental and ZF are also on board.