Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Silicon Valley startup Aurora are joining forces to develop self-driving technology for commercial services, the companies announced on Sunday. It’s the latest in a growing number of collaborations between established automakers and firms specializing in autonomous-driving technology.
Collaborations between established automakers and autonomous technology startups are happening everywhere you look these days. The latest one is between Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and Aurora, a Silicon Valley startup that’s been gaining much attention of late.
The partnership, announced by the two companies on Sunday, will focus on the development of self-driving vehicles for a variety of commercial services that include “logistics, transit, and other use cases,” according to a statement.
FCA and Aurora declined to get any more specific, though their comments suggest a range of possibilities, from robo-taxi services similar to those being developed by Waymo and Lyft, to shopping deliveries using self-driving trucks.
News of the deal — the financial terms of which have not been revealed — comes just a few days after FCA announced it was pulling out of merger talks with French automaker Renault, ending hopes of a tie-up that would have given FCA access to autonomous technology development being undertaken by Renault partner Nissan.
