China’s Geely picks Swedish software firm for driverless cars – Reuters
What happened: China’s largest private automaker Geely has chosen Zenuity, a joint venture between its subsidiary Volvo and Swedish auto tech company Veoneer, as its preferred supplier for assisted and autonomous vehicle software. Zenuity’s software will be used in vehicles under the brands Geely Auto, Volvo’s performance brand Polestar, British sports car maker Lotus, and EV maker Lynk & Co. Reuters quoted Zenuity’s CEO Dennis Nobelius as saying the Geely deal was a significant win as no more than five self-driving software platforms will survive over the next decade, compared with the 46 players that exist now, according to CB Insights.
Why it’s important: The delay in commercial self-driving cars, hindered by regulatory challenges and technical complexities, has put pressure on AV suppliers such as Zenuity. Gothenburg-based Zenuity develops both Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) and high-automated driving solutions, and just won approval to test self-driving Volvos on Swedish highways earlier this year. Geely, which sold 2.15 million vehicles last year, is planning mass production of its Level 3 autonomous vehicles in 2020 and aims to become one of the first-tier AV players in the world in the next five years, reported Chinese media.