Powered by Blogger.
Showing posts with label DETROIT. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DETROIT. Show all posts

Foxconn | To Open Self-Driving Facility In Michigan



Foxconn, the world’s largest manufacturer responsible for Apple’s iPhone and iPad, has announced another multibillion dollar U.S. investment, this time in a Michigan self-driving facility.
The Taiwanese-based manufacturer will use the Michigan facility to develop self-driving technologies. The state has been very progressive in its legalization of self-driving cars without a backup driver, alongside its tax incentives and subsidies to manufacturers.
See Also: University of Michigan launches its own driverless shuttle service
“Automotive development in the U.S. is still more advanced than China,” said Terry Gou, founder of Foxconn, to South China Morning Post. “Besides self-driving technology, I’m also interested in artificial intelligence and deep learning technology.”
Foxconn did not confirm the size of the investment or if the facility will ever manufacture autonomous cars or parts for automakers.
It is the second U.S. plant announcement by Foxconn this year, the first being a $10 billion LCD display panel facility in Wisconsin. The Washington Post said Foxconn will receive $3 billion in state tax breaks for the facility; a cost of around $230,700 per state worker.

Michigan one of a handful of driverless hubs

Michigan is one of a few self-driving hubs inside the U.S., looking to win over automakers and tech companies before federal regulations standardize autonomous tests. It legalized self-driving tests without a driver earlier this year, and invested heavily in a test town for automakers.
The results have been mixed, while the state has most of the big automakers – General Motors, Ford, and Toyota – testing autonomous cars, technology oriented firms – Waymo, Uber, and Tesla – have remained on the West coast, in Arizona and California.

Detroit Auto Show to launch an all-autonomous spin-off in 2017



After swamping the Detroit Auto Show for the past two years, event directors have decided to debut an autonomous spin-off show in 2017, called
AutoMobiliD.
The event will be held in Cobo Center Atrium in Detroit, Michigan on Jan 8, according toBoston Free Press. The atrium offers a 120,000 square-foot space and indoor test track for manufacturers to preview self-driving capabilities to industry experts and fans of the motor companies in a controlled environment.


See Also: Volvo tests self-driving cars in China and Sweden
“AutoMobili-D will provide an international look at the ever-changing world of consumer mobility and the ecosystem of companies and innovations that are driving this exciting transformation,” said Sam Slaughter, 2017 NAIAS chairman. “AutoMobili-D will provide the ideal platform for B2B networking and thought-provoking demonstrations.”


The spin-off event comes at a time where auto shows are struggling to maintain a powerful spot in the industry. Regular manufacturers are starting to prefer livestreaming or virtual reality announcements to spending loads on a spot at an auto show. Autonomous cars are in a different zone however, as manufacturers preview one or two features instead of an entire car at auto events. Previews require test drivers and a lot of space, two things auto shows have in.



Detroit has always been the go-to auto show

“Just as NAIAS has served as the leading global venue for automakers to debut brand-defining vehicles, AutoMobili-D will be the go-to setting for automakers, suppliers and startups alike to unveil advanced technologies and initiatives that will move the transportation industry into the next century,” said Slaughter.
Next year, we might see the first iterations of “mind-off” autonomous cars, which require minimal human interaction to drive. We are already seeing NuTonomy potentially launch a taxi service in Singapore, Baidu preparing to launch a similar service in China, and Google setting their sights on driverless software on the roads by 2018.

Add to that General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, and Citroën all working on autonomous vehicles, and the Detroit autonomous show looks to be a packed event full of startups and big name brands.