Tata Motors Land Rover in US tie-up with Waymo for driverless Jaguars

Tata Motors-owned Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has struck a long-term strategic partnership with US-based Waymo to develop the world's first premium self-driving electric vehicle.

JLR and Waymo, formerly known as the Google self-driving car project, will work together to design and engineer self-driving Jaguar I-PACE vehicles.

The long-term strategic collaboration is aimed at furthering the shared goals of both companies to make cars safer, free up people's valuable time and improve mobility for everyone, a JLR statement said.

"Our passion for further advancing smart mobility needs expert long-term partners. In joining forces with Waymo, we are pioneering to push the boundaries of technology. Together we will deliver the self-driving Waymo Jaguar I-PACE with the grace, space and eco-pace that customers expect," said JLR CEO Dr Ralf Speth.

Waymo Jaguar I-PACEs, equipped with Waymo's self-driving technology, will start testing later this year. On-road testing and capturing real-world data will allow Waymo and Jaguar Land Rover engineers to refine technology and deliver optimum safety and reliability, the statement said.

Under the tie-up, up to 20,000 I-PACEs will be built in the first two years of production and made available for riders of Waymo's driverless service, serving a potential 1 million trips per day.

"While we've been focused at Waymo on building the world's most experienced driver, the team at Jaguar Land Rover has developed an all-new battery-electric platform that looks to set a new standard in safety, design and capability. We're sure Waymo riders will enjoy the safe, premium and delightful experience that the self-driving I-PACE will provide," said Waymo CEO John Krafcik.

The company is a self-driving technology company with a mission to improve transportation by building on software and sensor technology developed in Google's labs.

Waymo claims to be the only company with a fleet of fully self-driving cars with no one in the front seat on public roads. Later this year, the California-headquartered company will launch the world's first self-driving transportation service allowing members of the public to use Waymo's app to request a vehicle.

JLR's Jaguar I-PACE was launched earlier this month and is the luxury car brand's first full-electric SUV.

According to the UK's largest car-marker, the model is all-new from the ground up and is a no compromise, desirable and practical electric performance car.

Jaguar Land Rover is committed to investing heavily, becoming automotive leaders in autonomous, connected and future electrified technologies, the statement said.