Tata-owned Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) and ride-hail firm Waymo have announced a long-term strategic partnership that will deliver up to 20,000 Jaguar vehicles for Waymo’s driverless (autonomous drive – AD) fleet.
The two companies say they will develop the ‘world’s first premium self-driving electric vehicle for Waymo’s driverless transportation service’.
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Jaguar Land Rover and Waymo (formerly Google self-driving car project) will work together to design and engineer self-driving Jaguar I-Pace vehicles (I-Pace is an electric SUV).
Waymo Jaguar I-Pace cars equipped with Waymo’s self-driving technology will start testing later this year. On-road testing and capturing real-world data will allow Waymo and Jaguar Land Rover engineers to refine the technology. The two companies say that under the agreement up to 20,000 I-Pace cars will be built in the first two years of production and be available for riders of Waymo’s driverless service, serving a potential one million trips per day.
The Jaguar I-Pace was launched earlier this month and is the company’s first full-electric SUV. Magna is assembling the I-Pace model for JLR at its plant in Graz, Austria.
Later this year Waymo says it will launch the world’s first self-driving transportation service allowing members of the public to use Waymo’s app to request a vehicle.
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By GlobalDataProf. Dr. Ralf Speth, Jaguar Land Rover Chief Executive Officer said: “With the Jaguar I-Pace we have a world-beating car that’s captured the imagination of customers around the world. Our passion for further advancing smart mobility needs expert long-term partners. In joining forces with Waymo we are pioneering to push the boundaries of technology. Together we will deliver the self-driving Waymo Jaguar I-Pace with the grace, space and eco-pace that customers expect.”
John Krafcik, Waymo Chief Executive Officer said: “While we’ve been focused at Waymo on building the world’s most experienced driver, the team at Jaguar Land Rover has developed an all-new battery-electric platform that looks to set a new standard in safety, design and capability. We’re sure Waymo riders will enjoy the safe, premium and delightful experience that the self-driving I-Pace will provide.”
The Waymo Jaguar I-Pace is being shown at the New York International Auto Show.
The Waymo-Jaguar tie-up echoes a similar supply deal announced last year between Volvo Cars and Uber.
See also: Uber and Volvo are a sign of the times – COMMENT
