The Volkswagen Group is said to be in discussions with Huawei about purchasing its autonomous vehicle unit for billions of dollars.
Details of the move remain limited but it is reported that leaders from the VW Group have been negotiating a deal with Huawei for several months. Germany’s Manager Magazin was the first to report on the potential deal.
While China’s Huawei hasn’t made as much noise about its developments in the autonomous vehicle space as some other technology companies and car manufacturers, it is aiming to develop Level 5 autonomy in passenger vehicles by 2025. Huawei has been diversifying its business after U.S. sanctions were introduced under the Trump administration. In September, the company unveiled what it said was the automotive industry’s first Level ‘3.5’ system.
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The VW Group is also working on self-driving systems and has already confirmed it is working alongside Argo AI and will introduce LiDAR systems into future commercial vehicles.
During a recent interview with Reuters, Volkswagen chief executive Herbert Diess acknowledged that the company was pursuing partnerships to increase its self-sufficiency with autonomous systems. Diess added that he expects to see widespread autonomous driving across the market within 25 years.
Diess also made a number of interesting admissions during a recent Ask Me Anything session on Reddit. When asked about whether the car manufacturer could introduce an electric pickup truck like the Ford F-150 Lighting, Diess referred to it as a “good idea!” He also confirmed that the company is working on production variants of its eye-catching ID. Vizzion concepts and noted that Audi and Bentley are “working on premium electric limousines.”
