Volvo says virus won’t slow its rollout of self-driving car tech

A file photo of the cameras on a pilot model of a self-driving car in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The carmaker plans to use Luminar’s lidar in Highway Pilot, a new platform enabling hands-free highway driving in its cars. Volvo says its system won’t require drivers to keep their eyes on the road at all times. — AFP

Volvo Car AB is grappling with plant shutdowns and layoffs, but one thing it’s not doing amid the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic is pumping the brakes on autonomous driving development.

The Swedish automaker said it will use sensors from Palo Alto, California-based lidar startup Luminar Technologies Inc for a self-driving system installed in its cars starting in 2022. It’s the first large-scale production contract with a global automaker for Luminar, which counts Volvo as an investor.