Volvo and Uber to co-develop driverless taxis
Swedish car maker Volvo has joined forces with Uber to co-develop autonomous driving cars for future ride sharing taxis
Swedish car giant Volvo has announced that it has entered into a joint venture with US ride-sharing firm Uber, to co-develop the next-generation of autonomous driving vehicles.
Volvo is a Swedish car giant which produces premium cars from family sized hatchbacks to large-SUVs, whereas Uber is the American ride-sharing firm that has taken the world by storm with its app-led taxi ordering service.
The cars will be produced by Volvo for Uber and will feature autonomous technology, up to and including fully autonomous driverless cars. The two firms have invested a combined US$300m.
These new cars will be based on Volvo’s current car underpinning which has recently been seen in the XC90 large-SUV, V90 executive estate and S90 executive saloon. Uber will then install its own self-developed autonomous technology for its finished vehicles. Volvo will additionally add its own systems to take its cars to market.
On the joint-venture, Volvo Cars president and chief executive, Håkan Samuelsson, commented: “We are very proud to be the partner of choice for Uber, one of the world’s leading technology companies. This alliance places Volvo at the heart of the current technological revolution in the automotive industry.”
Travis Kalanick, Uber’s chief executive, said: “Over one million people die in car accidents every year. Volvo is a leader in vehicle development and best-in-class when it comes to safety. By combining the capabilities of Uber and Volvo we will get to the future faster, together.”
The announcement comes at the same time that US car giant Ford announced its plans to develop fully-autonomous cars by 2021 in a ride-hailing or ride-sharing service.
