In August of 2016, Volvo Cars and Uber signed an agreement that would see the Swedish car company provide vehicles for the ride-sharing service. For those wondering what ever happned to that partnership, Volvo Cars recently announced that it would be moving forward and soon supply a base vehicle for Uber.
The agreement, however, isn’t just one that will allow Uber riders to hail luxurious Volvos, mind you. While this is already a treat in itself, Volvo says that its base vehicle will utilize the brand’s vaunted Scalable Product Architecture. This groundbreaking platform is what underpins models like the top-spec 90 Series cars and SUVs, as well as the XC60 compact SUV.
Apart from using SPA, the new Volvo base vehicle will come with a suite of autonomous driving technologies that will allow it to run up to Level 5 self-driving mode. What this means is that the car will be packed with all the necessary tools needed to ensure a safe self-driving vehicle. Moreover, it will also be fitted with all the tools needed to help Uber riders get to their destination safely and stress-free.
Volvo and Uber say that the base vehicles will be rolled out as early as 2019. Furthermore, the two companies plan to field tens of thousands of self-driving Volvos that will service Uber riders between 2019 and 2021. Volvo also intends to unveil its first-ever self-driving model by 2021.
