A new member is joining an alliance to take driving out of the hands of humans. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is joining BMW Group, Intel and Mobileye in developing an autonomous driving platform. FCA says the platform will be scalable for Level 3, which is considered highly automated driving, to Level 4/5 fully automated driving. The plan includes putting 40 autonomous test vehicles on the road by the end of this year. BMW Group, Intel, and Mobileye announced they were joining forces last year with the goal of producing self-driving vehicles by 2021.
Chinese automaker Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd. apparently does not have its eye on Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Reuters is quoting a company executive saying, "we don't have such plan at the moment". Earlier this week MotorWeek told you about an Automotive News report of at least one offer for FCA by representatives of a Chinese automaker. They also reported other automakers are looking into a potential purchase of FCA.
Can’t wait to see the new Volkswagen T-Roc? There’s a glimpse in a short teaser video. We can see close up interior and exterior design details. It will slide into the line-up below the new Tiguan. The Volkswagen T-Roc global premier is August 23. It's expected to launch in Europe later this year. Automotive News reports it’s coming to the US for 2019.