Automotive technology company Luminar and Mercedes-Benz have formed a partnership to accelerate the development of highly automated driving technologies for Mercedes passenger cars. Luminar’s Iris lidar technology, which is currently being prepared for series production, is expected to improve vehicle safety and the technical capabilities of highly automated driving systems. Per the agreement, Mercedes-Benz will leverage the foundational lidar technology from Luminar to industrialize and integrate it into series production vehicles.
Luminar founder and CEO Austin Russell (left) with Markus Schäfer, member of the board of management of Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG, CTO responsible for development and procurement at Mercedes-Benz’s Sindelfingen, Germany, plant. Courtesy of Mercedes-Benz.
“This partnership is a landmark moment in the industry, demonstrating how substantially increased safety and autonomous driving functions on consumer vehicles are going from sci-fi to mainstream,” said Austin Russell, founder and CEO of Luminar.
Mercedes-Benz will enable Luminar with a data-driven development approach for continuous product improvement and updates, and Mercedes-Benz’s DRIVE PILOT automated driving system will enter series production in the S-Class and EQS this year.
According to a regulatory filing, outlets covering the partnership have reported, Mercedes-Benz will additionally acquire up to 1.5 million Luminar shares, in exchange for certain data and services.