Who knew autonomy would unify them all?
FCA appears to be hard at work on multiple fronts this week, with the BMW+Intel autonomous driving group announcing that FCA would be joining them in their efforts to to further develop autonomous driving technology.
Prior to the announcement, it was little secret that BMW and Intel were working at full-pace developing platforms and architecture for autonomous cars, with the goal to get them on the road by 2021. Earlier this year, Intel acquired autonomous driving technology company Mobileye after the latter’s relationship with Tesla soured. Since then, Mobileye’s autonomous driving division has been absorbed into a similar Intel division, resulting in a goal to get some 40 self-driving cars on the road by the end of the year.
The goal for all parties is, ultimately, to end up with autonomous architecture and technology which can then be adapted to the various requirements that each partner demands, with enough personalisation and differentiation in between to ensure that each product appears bespoke and services the unique needs of each brand.
A burning question presently is how the current tie-up with BMW, Intel and Mobileye will effect FCA’s relationship with Google’s autonomous-driving initiative Waymo, which FCA has colluded with in the past to provide modified Chrysler Pacifica minivans as a test bed for Waymo’s self-piloting technology. The relationship with FCA isn’t exclusive though, as the group has made it clear that they remain open to exploring opportunities with new partners in the future.
Stay tuned to CarShowroom as we bring you more news as it comes.
