Valleywag
In Europe, Google's on a massive hiring binge for the Street View feature of Google Maps, where camera-equipped vehicles snap photos of streetscapes. It's bringing on 300 drivers for the Switzerland-based effort. But the project has been held up by the whim of a founder. Sergey Brin, we hear, is insisting that the project use hybrid Priuses, rather than the staid Saturn Astra it used in Australia, shown here, or the Chevrolet Cobalt Googlers drive in the U.S. Brin believes Toyota's gas-sipping Priuses are better for Google's image. Just one problem.
Priuses may be better for Google's corporate image, but not the images it hopes to snap for Street View. It's proved unfeasible to mount the bulky Street View cameras on a Prius. No word on whether Brin has been persuaded to compromise, or if his engineers have somehow found a solution. For now, it seems Google's hiring hundreds of drivers with nothing for them to drive.
(Photo by sebr)
Comments
like, whatever, dude! Just hurry up and snatch photos of all the nasty street vendors in my neighborhood K-Town, L.A.!!
Any good installer that is experienced in police lightbar, moonroof aftermarket, or commercial two-way data/voice, can get it done. Sheeeeit...
Come on people.
I helped mount an antenna on my pal's new Prius, and put a nice big dent in the roof just by leaning on my elbow a little.
@abmw: ...or anybody with a roll of duct tape. Send Red Green over there.
if sergey weren't such a tool of the oil & gas industry he would have these things mounted on tesla roadsters.
Interesting picture. So we can mount a rocket launcher on a Saturn, slap a Google sticker on the side of the car and drive all the way to the white house with people waving and smiling at us.
They don't sell Saturns in Australia. That's a Holden.
Err is that guy wearing a thong?
What nonsense, the street view vehicles here in Tokyo are most certainly Priuses (Priuii?) I walk by their office in Shibuya every day and have seen them with my own eyes. Of course in Europe they should be using VW Polo BlueMotion, but I digress...
What Dannybn said, no such thing in Australia as a Saturn. Besides, I'm sure that's a Holden Barina anyway, not an Astra
[www.holden.com.au]
No, it is definitely a Holden Astra which is the same as the Opel Astra and the upcoming Saturn Astra, hence the typo.
The Barina is a little tin can of a car.
Well, duh, they should just use Teslas... Oh, wait.
Sergey should know what more than 50% of European car buyers no: diesel is more economical and environmentally friendly than gas or hybrid. Many of friends think diesel is noisy/dirty/slow, then they rent a car in Europe and are astonished to finds that the clean, comfortable rocket that does 50mpg and goes like the proverbial is diesel (usually when they get to the gas pump and find they should be filling with diesel).
Just one possibility for the Googs to consider: [blogs.motortrend.com]
honestly, the prius is so ugly. you want a real good image, you find a way to get hybrid astras, or citroën C4 hybrids if any exist. or minis, which works out really well because starting next year every mini will be mild hybrid. or go diesel.
Opel and Saturn are both GM - so the models are pretty much identical.
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