The consortium of car makers consists of Audi, Daimler and BMW, will offer Euro 2.5 billion to purchase Nokia’s mapping service, a person familiar with the situation told the Wall Street Journal. If a deal is to be made these three automakers plan on asking Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, Renault SA, PSA Peugot Citroën, Ford, Toyota and General Motors to invest into Nokia Here as well.

While none of the sources for this news are official and remain anonymous, they do claim we will be hearing of it in the coming future as the deal might get signed in a few days. Keeping it maintained is necessary, although the goal of the open platform is to remove all costs now associated with Here Maps. Uber is now dependent on Google Maps, both for its autonomous driving technology and for its app. Despite this, Uber recently purchased part of Microsoft’s mapping technology and hired around 100 engineers to help it build its own mapping software, helping it decrease its dependence on Google. Nokia did not immediately return calls requesting comment.

Nokia’s maps business, HERE, supplies data to about 80pc of cars with in-dash navigation systems in Europe and North America.

Uber was also in talks to buy HERE, but the ride-hailing company dropped out of the bidding several weeks ago, the Journal reported.

It is this dynamic and comprehensive coverage of traffic and routes all over the world which makes HERE a hot favorite among car makers, who are in league for developing self-driving cars. The maps are being used in driverless auto trials in Germany along the autobahn A9 from Munich, as well as the Francilienne (N104) in South of Paris, and San Jose, Michigan and eventually Japan.

Nokia Here generated more than half its €970 million in 2014 sales from the auto industry, the rest from location-based services.

Here is a high-definition digital mapping company that was created after Nokia bought off the maps unit of Navteq for $8.1 billion back in 2008.