Waymo teams up with Renault Nissan for global self-driving car project
Alphabet Inc. subsidiary, Waymo, has announced a new partnership with Renault and Nissan to explore driverless mobility services for passengers and deliveries around the world. The deal is a landmark one for Waymo, confirming its global ambitions for self-driving vehicles.
The goal of the exclusive partnership, made on behalf of The Alliance of Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi, is initially to research commercial, legal, and regulatory issues related to transportation-as-a-service in France and Japan, with a view to creating long-term driverless solutions with the world’s largest automaker.
Waymo appears to be changing its strategy somewhat. This is the first deal the company has announced with an automaker. It has previously been buying cars such as the Jaguar I-PACE, to retrofit its autonomous technology.
John Krafcik, Waymo CEO, said: "This is an ideal opportunity for Waymo to bring our autonomous technology to a global stage, with an innovative partner. With the Alliance’s international reach and scale, our Waymo Driver can deliver transformational mobility solutions to safely serve riders and commercial deliveries in France, Japan, and other countries."
Waymo stated in the press release that the self-driving technology company was building the world’s most experienced driver with more than 10 million miles on public roads. As part of the deal, Groupe Renault and Nissan will create joint venture Alliance-focused companies in France and Japan dedicated to driverless mobility services.
Thierry Bolloré, Chief Executive Officer of Groupe Renault, said: "The story of tomorrow’s mobility will be jointly written, with the cooperation of the Alliance with Waymo, as industry leaders, opening new perspectives for driverless mobility services. We believe this partnership will accelerate our commitment to deliver new shared mobility services and benefit the automobile ecosystems by placing us at the forefront of driverless mobility new business streams in our key strategic markets."
Hiroto Saikawa, President and CEO Nissan Motor Co., added: "As we continue our work through the mid-term plan – Nissan M.O.V.E 2022 – to evolve our business to meet changing consumer behavior, Nissan aims to be an early provider of driverless mobility service. Our expertise in the global automotive industry and expertise in strategic partnership will enable us to explore opportunities to grow our portfolio and deliver new value to customers with Waymo, the recognized leader in this space."
What do you think of the new partnership? Autonomous vehicles are getting closer and closer, are you ready?
Source: The Alliance
