Mercedes & Momenta announce autonomous driving collaboration
The two companies will jointly develop a driver assistance system for use in China, which will be based on Momenta’s ‘Flywheel’ AI model. For this, data was fed exclusively from Chinese driving sources, which was then parsed by local teams in Germany and China “to meet Mercedes’ safety and performance standards while reflecting local habits,” as China Daily wrote.
This makes Mercedes-Benz the next German car manufacturer after BMW and Audi to use the Chinese startup’s technology. Momenta’s technology is set to be used for the first time in the fully electric CLA from autumn this year. This has now again been confirmed by the companies, although this model will likely not be the end of the planned cooperation effort.
Mercedes’ parent company Daimler, was also the first international manufacturer to get involved with investment in Momenta as early as 2017, half a year after its founding. Far more recently, Momenta had also announced plans to launch a collaboration with Uber in Munich, Germany. This was not the only international cooperation, as Honda also revealed a cooperation with the Chinese tech company in April.
“We are strengthening our in-house capabilities while deepening cooperation with China’s leading tech firms,” said Drummond Jacoy, senior executive vice-president at Mercedes-Benz China, adding: “Starting with the new CLA, we will deliver safer, smarter and more intuitive driving experiences tailored to Chinese customers.”
Momenta Chief Executive Officer Cao Xudong, added that he expects development to go quickly with the German automotive giant: “The rigor and speed of Mercedes’ standards set a benchmark for the industry.”
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