Honda said on Wednesday it would collaborate with Cruise and General Motors on self-driving vehicles for its autonomous vehicle mobility service (MaaS) business in Japan, based on the development and commercial agreements signed in October 2018.
Cruise would be sending the first of its self driving test vehicles to Japan and start development for testing this year, the Japanese automaker said in a statement.
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Further ahead, Honda plans to launch its MaaS business using the Cruise Origin, a vehicle the three companies are jointly developing exclusively for autonomous vehicle mobility service businesses.
Honda Mobility Solutions, established in February 2020, would be the operator of such MaaS business in Japan.
Dan Ammann, CEO of Cruise, said: “[Our] mission to provide safer, cleaner and more accessible transportation is not limited to the US. These are major changes that are needed almost everywhere in the world, and this is a small, but symbolic step with Honda on our global journey.”
Takahiro Hachigo, president & representative director, Honda Motor, added: “Through active collaboration with partners who share the same interests and aspirations, Honda will continue to accelerate the realisation of our autonomous vehicle MaaS business in Japan.”
