Volvo creates a company to sell self-driving car software
A joint venture with safety supplier Autoliv promises to make autonomous driving available to any company.
Volvo isn't going to hoard its self-driving car expertise. It's partnering with safety supplier Autoliv on a joint venture that will create autonomous driving software (including driver assistance) not just for Volvo, but for any company looking to add hands-free features to their lineups. The two firms hope to start selling driver assistance tech by 2019, and full-fledged autonomy by 2021.
The alliance will help Volvo, of course, since it'll both increase the amount of work on its own self-driving vehicles and give it a way to profit from competitors. However, it should also tackle one of the greatest challenges in the industry: making driverless technology accessible. Car makers that can't afford to design their own systems could soon buy it outright and focus their attention on building the cars themselves. In short, you may not have to be picky about your choice of ride just because you want to keep your hands off the wheel.
