Google Auto was formed as a limited liability company in late 2011. Who knew? Not me at least, as the information came to light through an FOI request by the Guardian. Working in partnership with Roush, it might be that the smarts for bringing the tech-sector’s take on the (perhaps very specific type of) car is more than just a speculative-bubble?

“It was Google Auto LLC that applied for the international vehicle identification number (VIN) codes to identify each new self-driving car, just like any other production vehicle. Google Auto also liaised with America’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and organised emissions testing in California. To avoid onerous safety requirements and crash tests, Google Auto’s cars would be lightweight low speed vehicles (LSVs), capable of a top speed of only 25mph.

All the cars built so far have been assembled on the outskirts of Detroit, Michigan, by Google’s manufacturing partner, the engineering firm Roush.”

Here’s the story:

Google’s very own car company