Others are simply following along with the trends and innovations that Apple is creating.

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Along with increasing safety on the roads and spurring one of the few innovations gaining traction in the automobile industry, autonomous cars could have a huge impact on the auto insurance industry.

FORBES: Self-Driving Cars From Google On The Road Toward Approval In California

Financial troubles, along with industry shifts, led GM to divest virtually all of the component subsidiaries it had once relied on to manufacture innovations hatched by its in-house army of scientists.

FORBES: How GM Lost -- And Found -- The Path To Innovation