Nokia last month said that it was looking to possibly sell its Here mapping business, and now the company may have found a buyer.
According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, BMW, Audi, and Daimler's Mercedes-Benz are looking to acquire Nokia's mapping technology to help power their future self-driving cars.
So why would these normally "fierce rivals" ever dream of teaming up? To beat out Silicon Valley in the race towards a self-driving car.
"The greatest threat to the automobile industry would be if Google developed an operating system for self-driving cars and made it available free to everyone," an unnamed person familiar with the situation told the newspaper. "We need the map for the operating system in the cars."
The report notes that talks have reached an "advanced stage" and are likely to wrap up within weeks. At this point, the companies are reportedly still ironing out details such as the price and distribution of specific stakes. The German automakers want a controlling majority while Baidu and another unnamed financial investor, along with Nokia itself, would get minority stakes.
Nokia is leaving its options open, though. The company last month said was reviewing its options "including a potential divestment, for its Here business," but it may still decide not to sell.
If they do manage to take control of Here, "the car makers plan to invest further in the service to transform it into the eyes and ears of self-driven cars and the foundation to develop in-car digital services," the Journal said.
In 2013, Nokia teamed up with Mercedes-Benz to develop smart maps intended to spur the development of self-driving cars. That could include the sleek concept that Mercedes showed off at this year's CES, though BMW and Audi have also made great strides on that front.
In March, meanwhile, Bloomberg reported that Baidu has been researching the smart car, and is working with auto manufacturers to create a branded vehicle.