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Waymo Goes International with Renault-Nissan Deal for Self-Driving Cars

The self-driving car bug is slowly expanding across the automotive industry, affecting an increasing number of companies as time goes by. This week, the Renault-Nissan Alliance announced they caught it too.
Waymo expanding to Japan and France 1 photo
Photo: Waymo
In a joint statement released on Thursday, the French-Japanese auto group said it has enlisted the help of Waymo, one of the most advanced companies in the field of autonomous driving, to help them with their efforts.

The announcement doesn't specifically detail what the deal means for any of the companies involved. The vague statement claims Waymo will help the two automakers “explore all aspects of driverless mobility services for passengers and deliveries in France and Japan.”

The ultimate goal is obviously the creation of a transportation-as-a-service system in the two countries, but it's unclear what exactly each company will do to achieve that goal.

To handle combined operations, Renault, Nissan and Waymo will set up several “joint venture Alliance-focused companies.” When and how many will be created is anybody's guess.

As per the information provided, this is an exclusive deal, meaning the American company will not be entering similar agreements with other automakers, at least in the two countries. It is also the perfect doorway for the Alphabet-owned company to expand the scope of its business in markets outside the U.S., as Waymo's CEO John Krafcik says.

"This is an ideal opportunity for Waymo to bring our autonomous technology to a global stage, with an innovative partner. With the Alliance’s international reach and scale, our Waymo Driver can deliver transformational mobility solutions to safely serve riders and commercial deliveries in France, Japan, and other countries," the executive stated.

At the beginning of the year, Waymo announced a major investment o complete a 200,000-square-foot manufacturing center in Michigan, set to become the world’s first factory dedicated to the mass production of autonomous vehicles. The facility is scheduled to be completed in 2021.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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