Daimler AG confirmed that Amazon.com Inc. and Microsoft Corp. are engaged in with a consortium of Germancarmakers comprising the Mercedes-Benz parent, Audi AG and BMW Group to acquireminority stakes in the HERE digital mapping service, The Wall Street Journal reported April 4.

In an interview, Thomas Weber, a Daimler board member in chargeof research and development, reportedly said the consortium is talking to thetech giants along with many auto makers, while adding that they have yet toreach a decision.

Additionally, Weber said the consortium requires theservices of a cloud provider to handle the data created by HERE and its users.