Daimler has been running a think tank outside its Stuttgart headquarters since 2007. It's been responsible for the car-sharing service Car2Go, 3D-printing parts for classic cars, and had a hand in developing the interior of the Mercedes self-driving car concept. Now it's looking to get into delivery drones.
The think tank was set up by Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche as a way to explore how the company could expand its business while leveraging its 129 years of automotive experience. It's birthed some successful projects and a fair number of fails, and now Daimler is looking to drones as a way to expand its commercial footprint.
In a report by Bloomberg, Zetsche said that drones is something Daimler is working on, with the tiny copters swarming out of the roof of a delivery truck to deliver packages to customers.
Obviously, this isn't a new concept, but it hasn't been deployed. Amazon made a big splash with its AmazonAir announcement in 2013, but that was more marketing than reality. DHL is also considering it and now the Chinese online shopping beheamoth Alibaba is working on its own. How, exactly, Daimler would fit in, however, Zetsche wouldn't elaborate on.