The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
The future of self-driving cars appears to be in Uber safe hands
Swedish car maker Volvo has announced it is working with ride-sharing company Uber to develop self-driving cars.
The joint project, which aims to eventually produce fully autonomous vehicles, will see vehicles manufactured by Volvo and then bought by Uber.
Each company is putting forward $300 million US (just under £230 million).
Hakan Samuelsson, president and chief executive of Volvo Cars, said: “Volvo is a leader in the development of active safety and autonomous drive technology and possesses an unrivalled credibility for safety.
“This alliance places our company at the heart of the technological revolution in the automotive industry.”
The new car will be based on Volvo’s Scalable Product Architecture, one of the latest car frameworks in the world.
The current-generation XC90 uses the platform, as do the S90 and V90 cars.
Travis Kalanick, Uber’s chief executive, said: “More than one million people die in car accidents every year.
“These are tragedies that self-driving technology can help solve but we can’t do this alone.
“That’s why our partnership with a great manufacturer like Volvo is so important.
“The company is a leader in vehicle development and best in class when it comes to safety.
“By combining the capabilities of Uber and Volvo we will get to the future faster, together.”
Meanwhile, South Korean company SsangYong will preview its nextgeneration Rexton 4x4 at the Paris Motor Show this October, the South Korean company has revealed.
Paul Williams, the firm’s UK chief executive, said the concept would be “very close” to the production car, which is expected to arrive in the UK in September 2017 and will be the first of four new models due to be introduced between 2017 and 2021.