Volvo has announced a partnership with the ride-sharing company Uber to develop fully autonomous cars together.
In this joint project, Volvo will manufacture the base vehicles which will then be bought by Uber. The two companies are each investing $300 million (or about £230 million) towards this project.
The fully autonomous Volvo will be based on the company’s Scalable Product Architecture, which is currently the platform used for the latest Volvo XC90 SUV, the S90 saloon and V90 estate.
Later this month, Uber and Volvo will start a trial in Pittsburgh where Uber customers will be able to hire a specially modified XC90 for transport. The cars will feature autonomous driving technology but will also be supervised by humans in the driver’s seat.
Uber’s chief executive, Travis Kalanick, said: “Over one million people die in car accidents every year. These are tragedies that self-driving technology can help solve, but we can’t do this alone.
“That’s why our partnership with a great manufacturer like Volvo is so important. 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.”
Volvo are not the only car manufacturer to team up with Uber, as Toyota has invested in the ride sharing company and begun offering new vehicle leasing options to Uber drivers in the process.
