It could supply software to increasingly automated and computerized vehicles made by others, as analysts predict Google will seek to do.
Electronic stability control, also referred to as electronic stability program or dynamic stability control, is a computerized technology that improves a vehicle's stability by detecting and reducing loss of traction (skidding).
The same goes for advances in electronic stability control (ESC) — the computerized technology improves a vehicle's stability by actively assessing road conditions to adjust vehicle handling in order to reduce potential skidding and roll overs.
To pass the annual state emissions inspection, a car or truck is connected to a machine that checks the vehicle's computerized emissions control system and sends the information to the State Department of Motor Vehicles.
And in a few years, automakers will roll out affordable vehicles with computerized dashboard displays, from which drivers will be able to check e-mail, pull up a map or book a hotel room.
Toyota said today it would recall 4,500 Lexus vehicles in Japan to fix a computerized steering problem, with another 7,000 vehicles overseas also likely to be affected.
The shift to more computerized controls has made many vehicles, not just Toyotas, more difficult to fix in recent years.
Stability control, a computerized system designed to keep vehicles from skidding out of control, must be either standard equipment or available as an option.
WALL STREET JOURNAL Intel Targets Cars With New Fund | Intel announced a new $100 million venture capital fund aimed at accelerating innovation in cars, as vehicles become more computerized, The Wall Street Journal reports.
