Jaguar Land Rover is becoming a bigger and bigger player in the self-driving space, already building its own test vehicles and even chipping away at adventurous versions that go off-road. The latest move from the premium automaker comes as an investment in ride-sharing company Lyft, along with a fleet of Jaguar and Land Rover cars for its drivers to put to the test.
Lyft has been making solid strides in its pursuit of an autonomous ride-hailing service, and some big names are taking notice. General Motors made a huge bet when it invested US$500 million back in January last year, while Google's Waymo and self-driving counterpart NuTonomy are others companies to partner up with Lyft.
The new $25 million investment actually comes by way of InMotion, an arm of Jaguar Land Rover that invests in companies focused on mobility and smart transportation. This money is intended to go towards Lyft's technology and expansion plans (its services are currently available in 350 US cities), while the agreement also includes a fleet of Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles for Lyft drivers.
"This is a strategic investment for both parties as we focus on innovating new mobility solutions for our customers," said Hanno Kirner, Executive Director of Corporate and Strategy, Jaguar Land Rover. "Collaborating with an expanding technology business like Lyft is going to help us both accelerate our ambitions."
Source: Jaguar Land Rover