The Waymo Zeekr robotaxi combines hardware and software from both

Autonomous driving firm Waymo is reportedly in talks with Hyundai Motor to outsource the manufacturing of its robotaxis, according to the Electronic Times.

Officials at Waymo, which is owned by Google parent Alphabet, have met with Hyundai Motor more than three times, the report says.

Discussions have reportedly centred on a plan to use Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 EVs for Waymo’s 6th-gen driving technology, with an additional suggestion to replace offerings from Zeekr with the Ioniq 5 models, Reuters reported.

In a statement to the news agency, Waymo declined to comment “on speculation”, but said it could share that it was “hard at work” validating its 6th-generation Waymo Driver on the Zeekr platform, which it intends to “introduce when ready.”

A statement via Zeekr said: “There is no change to Zeekr’s partnership with Waymo.”

Hyundai Motor Group added that “nothing is determined at this stage about new businesses,” which was in reference to its plan to sell its vehicle platform to autonomous driving tech firms.

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