During the CES trade show in January, it is rumoured that Google and Ford will announce a partnership to build autonomous, self-driving vehicles for the future.

The companies have individually been active in the field for a while, with Ford revealing recently that it will test self-driving models of its Ford Fusion hybrid cars in California. It has already been testing autonomous vehicles in other areas of the US and clearly believes that this is an important innovation for the motor industry.

Google has also recently been in the news with its plans to create a driverless taxi service, with an automated ride sharing scheme. It has been tipped to start the business in 2016, with an Uber-like service operating around university campuses and other smaller zones in the States initially as a test.

The latest rumour suggests that the two established brands will team to make that happen.

READ: Self-driving cars: 14 automakers betting on driverless vehicles

It is said that Ford will provide the manufacturing knowhow and expertise, while Google (or umbrella company Alphabet) will provide the software. The venture, however, will be run as a separate entity.

The partnership is also said to be non-exclusive, with Google happy to talk and work with other car manufacturers to further the ultimate goal of getting consumer self-driving cars on the roads.

We will find out more at CES 2016 no doubt.