Autonomous car to be built by Delphi and Mobileye

Partnership is the latest in a flurry of tie-ins as firms start making self-driving tech

DETROIT— Auto parts and electronics company Delphi Automotive is joining with Israeli software-maker Mobileye to develop the building blocks for a fully autonomous car within about two years.

The companies announced their partnership early Tuesday. It’s another in a flurry of auto industry and tech tie-ups as companies race for self-driving supremacy.

Delphi and Mobileye plan to build a complete autonomous driving platform that they will sell to automakers worldwide.

They promise to demonstrate the technology at January’s Consumer Electronics Show and have it ready for production in 2019.

Delphi already has taken an autonomous Audi on a cross-country drive, while Mobileye makes software that processes data from cameras and other sensors.

The companies didn’t give many financial details, but said they would share development costs for a total combined investment of a few hundred million dollars.

Mobileye will provide its next-generation chip that processes signals from multiple sensors, as well as software used for real-time mapping.

Delphi will contribute automated driving software algorithms and controls for camera, radar and laser sensors.

The partnership is the latest as oldline auto companies combine their strengths with technology companies as they try to stay competitive on autonomous cars.

Last week, ride-booking company Uber announced a partnership with Volvo and acquired a San Francisco startup called Otto to work on autonomous vehicles.

Uber said it plans to test autonomous cars by carrying passengers in a few weeks in Pittsburgh, with human backup drivers.

In January, General Motors invested $500 million (U.S.) in Lyft, Uber’s prime competitor, and it bought Cruise Automation, a West Coast autonomous software company.