Volvo and ride-sharing company Uber have joined forces to develop what the firms are calling “next generation” autonomous cars in a £228m project.
The new vehicle will be developed using Volvo’s current Scalable Product Architecture (SPA), which underpins models such as the XC90 SUV, S90 saloon and V90 estate in the firms line-up.
Both companies will work together to develop the vehicle, with the cars being manufactured by Volvo and then purchased by Uber, who will add its own self-developed autonomous driving systems alongside the Swedish car makers.
A Volvo spokesman could not indicate to BusinessCar when these vehicles are likely to hit the roads.
“Volvo is one of the most progressive and contemporary car makers in the world. It is a world leader in the development of active safety and autonomous drive technology, and possesses an unrivalled safety credibility,” said Hakan Samuelsson, president and chief executive of Volvo. “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.”
This announcement follows hot on the footsteps of Ford confirming it will develop fully-autonomous vehicles for ride-sharing services by 2021 in America.
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