Google's hiring spree could suggest its driverless car project is on track

Google's parent company, Alphabet, appears to be forging ahead with its expansion plans for its driverless car project. The tech giant recently advertised 36 job openings within its driverless car X division.

The company is hiring engineers with various specialisations, including robotics, displays and motion control. Management level positions are also available, with focus on marketing, operations and materials.

The hiring spree reflects Google's desire to join the driverless car manufacturing bandwagon. Although the Silicon Valley-based tech firm has denied rumours of driverless car manufacturing multiple times in the past, the recent adverts posted by its secretive X division is indicative of their possibly imminent plans of bringing Google branded driverless cars to the market soon.

A marketing manager's job listing reveals much about Google's plans for driverless cars in the future. The advert exhibits the tech giant's plans to create innovative marketing strategies that will "help win the hearts and minds of local communities, opinion formers and governments". The person will be responsible for "applying new brand identity" after graduating from the X division to the Self-Driving car team. Yet another operations manager's job listed says that the position is responsible for "coordinating cross-functional teams including Development, Operations, Reliability and Systems Engineering".

Google achieved a landmark victory on 4 February when US federal authority The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) agreed to consider the tech firm's AI system as the legal driver, under federal law. The verdict has been a major boost to leading tech and automobile manufacturing companies, who have been vying to bring driverless cars into the US and international markets in the recent past.

Google is currently testing out its autonomous cars in the US, but has recently received a request from London transport authorities to expand testing to the British capital as well. Google is yet to comment on its future plans for its driverless car division.