Self-driving car company Waymo on Tuesday said it will buy up to 20,000 cars from Jaguar Land Rover in an effort to expand its autonomous vehicle technology to the luxury car market.
Speaking at an event in New York, Waymo Chief Executive John Krafcik said the deal calls for Waymo to put its self-driving technology into Jaguar’s new, all-electric I-Pace car that is set to go into production this year. Without resorting to flash and drama during his presentation, Krafcik still left no doubt about what Waymo thinks of its partnership with Jaguar.
“(This is) the world’s first, premium, electric, fully self-driving car,” Krafcik said. “I-Pace is the best, next vehicle for Waymo.” Krafcik added that the car is being designed “with the latest safety standards” for a self-driving car.
Krafcik added that the new Jaguar cars will first be used in a ride-sharing service Waymo will launch in Phoenix this year. Google spun out Waymo as its own business in late 2016.
Arizona has become a sort-of Ground Zero for self-driving cars and the safety of such vehicles after a pedestrian in Tempe, Arizona was struck and killed by an Uber self-driving vehicle on March 18. Uber immediately suspended testing of self-driving cars on public roads across North America.
Speaking at the National Automobile Dealers Association, in Las Vegas on Saturday, Krafcik threw some salt into Uber’s wounds. Krafcik said he believed Waymo’s technology could have detected the Tempe pedestrian in time and “would be able to handle situations like that one.”
Krafcik’s announcements Tuesday came shortly after Arizona Gov. Dave Ducey suspended Uber from testing self-driving cars on the state’s roads for the foreseeable future.
