In the realm of autonomous technology, Delphi and nuTonomy already had a lot in common. Both established pilot projects involving automated cars in Boston and Singapore. Both believe the commercial-vehicle market holds more short-term promise for widespread deployment. Both have been searching for ways to reach that market faster.
One solution: Join forces. Delphi announced Tuesday that it will acquire Boston-based nuTonomy for $450 million. Combined, the two companies roughly double their workforce dedicated to autonomous driving to more than 200 employees, a development that will hasten plans to deploy automated vehicles as soon as 2019. Delphi is also partnered with Mobileye and Intel as an integrator of autonomous technology for both BMW and Fiat Chrysler. Plans to deploy autonomous taxis in Singapore remain slated for 2021, but this partnership will allow Delphi to target initial deployments in other cities in “a 2019 timeframe,” according to Delphi chief technology officer Glen DeVos. ?There?s really two aspects of that acceleration,” DeVos continued. “One is the timelines. Can we get to deployment sooner" And the second is, ?How many cities can we actually deploy in"? ?
It?s the latest big move for Delphi, a global automotive supplier that has already made several acquisitions in its bid to remake itself as a software-focused company for the driverless future. The company recently spun off its traditional powertrain business into a ...