HERE maps has drawn a lot of interest from companies looking to buy it. While Facebook and Microsoft have expressed interest in Nokia’s mapping service in the past, some new potential bidders for HERE have recently popped up. After Nokia announced in April that it was looking to divest itself of its mapping service, auto manufacturers Mercedes-Benz, Audi and BMW expressed interest in teaming up as a consortium with Chinese social media firm Baidu to acquire the company.
But according to the New York Times, a new player has actually made a firm bid for HERE. The newspaper cites three people with knowledge of a bid made by ride-sharing service Uber for HERE. According to these sources, Uber has offered as much as $3 billion for the mapping company. Uber’s offer will compete with others coming from the Mercedes-Audi-BMW-Baidu team and one from a private equity firm that is interested in the company.
