The London-based company has tested its software using Ford Mustang Mach-E and Jaguar I-Pace electric sport utility vehicles, racking up miles in the UK, the US and Germany
[TOKYO] Nissan Motor will join forces with Wayve Technologies for the next generation of its driver-assist system ProPilot, which will make its way into vehicles roughly two years from now.
The partnership marks the first time a global automaker has announced plans to integrate Wayve’s technology into production cars. The London-based company raised by far the largest amount among European artificial intelligence (AI) startups last year, raking in US$1 billion from a round led by SoftBank Group.
Wayve’s AI driver software is “designed to handle highly complex real-world driving conditions in a human-like manner”, the company said on Thursday (Apr 10). Nissan said it will debut the next-generation ProPilot system in the 2027 fiscal year.
In addition to SoftBank, Wayve’s backers include Nvidia, Microsoft and Uber Technologies. The startup has tested its software using Ford Mustang Mach-E and Jaguar I-Pace electric sport utility vehicles, racking up miles in the UK, the US and Germany. It’s partnered with Uber to work towards eventually deploying fully autonomous vehicles on the ride-hailing company’s platform.
Nissan first introduced ProPilot in 2016. The system initially required drivers to keep their hands on the wheel while assisting with lane centering and maintaining distance from vehicles ahead. Nissan started offering a second-generation version of ProPilot in 2019 that’s capable of hands-off driving on freeways. BLOOMBERG
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