UPDATE 3-Uber confidentially files for IPO – sources

NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO, (Reuters) – Uber Technologies Inc has filed paperwork for an initial public offering, according to three people with knowledge of the matter, taking a step closer to a key milestone for one of the most closely watched and controversial companies in Silicon Valley. FILE PHOTO: The Uber application is seen on a… Continue reading UPDATE 3-Uber confidentially files for IPO – sources

Google’s robotic spinoff launches ride-hailing service

Google’s robotic spinoff launches ride-hailing serviceSan Francisco – Google’s self-driving car spinoff is finally ready to try to profit from its nearly decade-old technology.
Waymo is introducing a small-scale ride-hailing service in the Phoenix area that will include a human behind the wheel in case the robotic vehicles malfunction.
The service debuting Wednesday marks a significant milestone for Waymo, a company that began as a secretive project within Google in 2009. Since then, its cars have robotically logged more 10 million miles on public roads in 25 cities in California, Arizona, Washington, Michigan and Georgia while getting into only a few accidents – mostly fender benders.
The company is initially operating the new service cautiously, underscoring the challenges still facing its autonomous vehicles as they navigate around vehicles with human drivers that don’t always follow the same rules as robots.
The service, dubbed Waymo One, at first will only be available to a couple hundred riders, all of whom had already been participating in a free pilot program that began in April 2017. It will be confined to a roughly 100-square-mile area in and around Phoenix, including the neighboring cities of Chandler, Tempe, Mesa, and Gilbert.
Although Waymo has been driving passengers without any humans behind the wheel in its free pilot program, it decided to be less daring with the new commercial service.
“Self-driving technology is new to many, so we’re proceeding carefully with the comfort and convenience of our riders in mind,” Waymo CEO John Krafcik wrote in Wednesday blog post heralding the arrival of the new service.
The ride-hailing service is launching in the same area where a car using robotic technology from ride-hailing service Uber hit and killed a pedestrian crossing a darkened street in Tempe, Arizona seven months ago. That fatal collision attracted worldwide attention that cast a pall over the entire self-driving car industry as more people began to publicly question the safety of the vehicles.
“I suspect the Uber fatality has caused Waymo to slow down its pace a bit” and use human safety drivers in its ride-hailing service,” said Navigant Research analyst Sam Abuelsamid. “If people keep dying, there will be a bigger backlash against these vehicles.”
The Uber robotic car had a human safety driver behind the wheel, but that wasn’t enough to prevent its lethal accident in March.
Waymo’s self-driving vehicles are still susceptible to glitches, as an Associated Press reporter experienced during a mid-October ride in an autonomous minivan alongside Krafcik near company’s Mountain View, California, headquarters.
The minivan performed smoothly, even stopping for a jaywalker, before abruptly pulling to the right side of the road. Ahead was a left-turning FedEx delivery truck. In a digital message to the two human backup drivers, the van said it “detected an issue” and it would connect to a rider support agent. Rider support didn’t respond, so they switched to manual mode and returned to Waymo headquarters.
At that time, Krafcik conceded to the AP that Waymo’s self-driving vehicles were still encountering occasional problems negotiating left-hand turns at complicated intersections.
“I think the things that humans have challenges with, we’re challenged with as well,” Krafcik said. “So sometimes unprotected lefts are super challenging for a human, sometimes they’re super challenging for us.”
Waymo eventually plans to open its new ride-hailing app to all comers in the Phoenix area, although it won’t say when. It also wants to expand its service to other cities, but isn’t saying where. When that happens, it could pose a threat to Uber and the second most popular U.S. ride-hailing service, Lyft, especially since it should be able charge lower prices without the need to share revenue with a human driver in control at all times.
General Motors also is gearing up to begin offering a ride-hailing service through its Cruise subsidiary under the management of a new CEO, Dan Ammann, who has been the Detroit automaker’s No. 2 executive. Cruise plans to start its ride-hailing service at some point next year in at least one U.S. city. Another self-driving car company, Drive.ai, has been giving short-distance rides to all comers within Frisco, Texas and Arlington, Texas since the summer.
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AP Auto Writer Tom Krisher in Detroit contributed to this story.
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Waymo starts commercial ride-share service

Geoff Robins | AFP | Getty Images
John Krafcik, CEO of Waymo speaks at a press conference at the 2017 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, January 8, 2017.

After months of testing and millions of miles developing self-driving vehicle technology, Waymo has officially launched the country's first commercial autonomous ride-share service.

The company's Waymo One program will give customers rides in self-driving vehicles 24 hours a day. Initially, the service will be limited to cities surrounding Phoenix, including Tempe, Mesa and Chandler.

While there may be many potential customers who want to ride in an autonomous vehicle, the Waymo One service will initially be offered to a limited number of people. Those customers will include hundreds of people in the Phoenix area who were test users of the Waymo self-driving vehicle fleet that has been in development since April 2017.

“Self-driving technology is new to many, so we're proceeding carefully with the comfort and convenience of our riders in mind,” said Waymo CEO John Krafcik. One example of Waymo taking a cautious approach rolling out its ride-share service is the company's use of safety drivers to supervise the rides, at least initially. In addition, the company's app and consoles in the Waymo One vehicles will allow riders to instantly connect with support agents who can assist riders with questions.

Alphabet's Waymo One marks the start of the race by automakers, tech companies and other firms to launch autonomous ride-share services. General Motors subsidiary Cruise plans to launch a similar service using self-driving vehicles next year.

What's driving the competition? The pursuit of greater profits. Studies of have shown the biggest cost for ride-share operations is the expense of paying a driver. General Motors estimates it costs ride -share companies more than $3 per mile in San Francisco. However, GM believes that cost could drop to roughly $1 per mile by 2025 with driverless vehicles in ride-share fleets.

Waymo has said it expects the cost to consumers for using Waymo One to be competitive with Uber, Lyft and other ride-hailing services.

Waymo launches self-driving car service Waymo One

Waymo, the former Google self-driving project owned by parent company Alphabet, is launching a commercial robotaxi service in the Phoenix area dubbed Waymo One. This milestone, for the company and nascent self-driving technology industry, comes with caveats. The Waymo One self-driving car service, and accompanying app, won’t be available to just anyone. And for now,… Continue reading Waymo launches self-driving car service Waymo One

Alphabet’s Wing to take off in Finland

Alphabet-owned Wing is launching its first operations in Europe, bringing its autonomous drone delivery service to Finland in the spring of 2019. The service will start with a small trial in the Helsinki area, Wing announced Tuesday. “Finns are internationally renowned for being early-adopters of new technologies, and we’re looking forward to working with the… Continue reading Alphabet’s Wing to take off in Finland

Robot couriers scoop up early-stage cash

Joanna Glasner Contributor More posts by this contributor Getting personal: Funding rises for software-driven tastemakers The alumni of these universities raised the most VC in the past year Much of the last couple of decades of innovation has centered around finding ways to get what we want without leaving the sofa. So far, online ordering… Continue reading Robot couriers scoop up early-stage cash

Top Automotive Industry News for Week of October 15 – October 21, 2018

Here is the most important news associated with the automotive industry
identified by the AEA for the week October 15, 2018 – October 21, 2018.

We hope it helps you stay up to speed on the key developments in our
industry:

-AEA Membership News-

AEA Reception is tonight in Las Vegas. See you there!

-Automotive Manufacturing News-

Audi slapped with a $930 million fine by German prosecutor for its
diesel cheating scandal

(CNBC)

Daimler Cuts Earnings Estimates as Outlook Gets Tougher

(The Detroit Bureau)

Ford's new 'Proud' ad campaign features Bryan Cranston from
'Breaking Bad

(USA Today)

Ford and Volkswagen flirting with relationship possibilities and
joint projects

(USA Today)

Ford boosts production of its $400,000 GT supercar as demand
outpaces supply six-to-one

(CNBC)

Ford seeks to allay dealers’ worries with ‘comeback story’

(The Detroit News)

Frustrated GM investors ask what more CEO Barra can do

(Reuters)

GM Offers Extended Warranties As Reliability Ratings Improve And
Scammers Surge

(Forbes)

Hyundai's Nexo Stands Out As The First Truly Complete Fuel Cell
Electric Vehicle

(Forbes)

Judge approves Elon Musk settlement with SEC

(The Detroit News)

New Chips Improve Tesla Autopilot “500% to 2000%,” Musk Says

(The Detroit Bureau)

Porsche denies speculation that it's planning to go public

(CNBC)

Tesla buys new plot for China factory for $140 million

(CNBC)

Tesla, GM in line for EV boost under U.S. Senate bill

(Automotive News)

VW's Porsche expects to repeat record vehicle sales this year

(Reuters)

-Automotive Evolution News-

Clutch Looks To Increase the Number of OEMs, Dealers on Its
Subscription Platform by Year’s End

(Auto Finance News)

Future of electric-car tax credit up in the air

(The Detroit News)

Google’s Waze expands carpooling tool throughout U.S.

(The Detroit News)

How car subscription app Fair wants to disrupt the market for car loans
using subscriptions

(CNBC)

Kids' Ride Service Race Heats Up As Zūm Expands To Take On Kango,
HopSkipDrive

(Forbes)

Not everyone is ready to ride as autonomous vehicles take to the
road in ever-increasing numbers

(CNBC)

The Computer Chauffeur Is Creeping Closer

(The New York Times)

Waymo details how emergency services should deal with self-driving
incidents

(autoblog)

-Automotive Retail News-

Assurant Launches Mechanic 2.0

(Auto Dealer Monthly)

Best budget-friendly small cars include Kia, Honda, Hyundai and
Mazda sedans

(USA Today)

Black Book Valuation Data Now Integrated With CDK’s Lightspeed EVO

(Auto Dealer Monthly)

CarMax pinpoints where its sales of manual transmissions are
rarest, most common

(Auto Remarketing)

Change Is Coming to Automobile Dealerships

(Forbes)

Equifax: Vehicle Sales Down, Borrowing Up

(Auto Dealer Monthly)

GM Rolls Out Optional Extended Warranty

(Auto Dealer Monthly)

-Automotive Wholesale News-

5 trends surface as wholesale-price softening accelerates

(Auto Remarketing)

Weekly Vehicle Values Fall Precipitously

(Vehicle Remarketing)

-Automotive Enthusiast News-

These Are the Most Valuable Cars Jerry Seinfeld Has Featured on
Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee

(Car and Driver)

-Automotive Servicing News-

Goodyear offers replacement tires at consumers' homes

(Automotive News)

Safety administration investigates Ford pickup tailgates opening
unexpectedly

(Detroit Free Press)

-General Business & Executive News-

Auto Classified Industry Veterans Skip Dowd and Ernie Blood Launch
MautoSearch

(Medium)

Car-shopping company Shift seeks to follow Carvana with 2020 IPO

(Automotive News)

Cox to shed staff as it restructures

(Automotive News)

Dealer Inspire Expands in Canada Offering New Digital Marketing Options
for Automotive Dealers

(Cars.com)

Google Adds EV Charging Stations to Google Maps

(Cars.com)

Report: Uber, Lyft each looking to go public in 2019 as rivalry
heads to Wall Street

(USA

Today)

Walmart to team with Advance Auto Parts for online store, lowers FY
2019 earnings forecast

(USA Today)

U.S. retail sales increase modestly; consumer spending strong

(Reuters)

-AEA Reminder-

Did we miss something? Let us know via our

Contact Us Page >>

. If you have specific important news going public soon that you would like
to share with your fellow AEA Members, submit your

PR Distribution Request >>

Have a great week,

Member Services

memberservices@automotiveexecutives.com

Automotive Executives Association

www.automotiveexecutives.com

Top Automotive Industry News for Week of October 29 – November 4, 2018

Here is the most important news associated with the automotive industry
identified by the AEA for the week October 29, 2018 -November 4, 2018.

We hope it helps you stay up to speed on the key developments in our
industry:

-Automotive Manufacturing News-

Every Mid-Size Luxury Crossover and SUV Ranked from Worst to Best

(Car and Driver)

Faraday Future's Rough Road: Funds Sought As Cofounders Depart, Workers
Furloughed

(Forbes)

Ford could provide a 40% return in the year ahead as restructuring
takes hold, Goldman says

(CNBC)

GM memo: We must cut costs, can't wait to see what happens in industry

(Detroit Free Press)

GM Throws Weight Behind Nationwide Electric-Car Quota

(Cars.com)

GM to offer buyout to some workers in cost-cutting move: DJ

(CNBC)

Jaguar Land Rover undergoes $3.2 billion turnaround plan as sales slump

(autoblog)

Tesla electric vehicles will park themselves in 2019, Elon Musk says

(USA Today)

Tesla’s third-largest shareholder says it’s willing to pump more money
into the company

(CNBC)

The brutal and extreme tests Ram, Ford, Chevy run on trucks

(Detroit Free Press)

US regulators subpoenaed Tesla Model 3 production forecasts, data

(USA Today)

Volvo and Baidu join forces to mass produce self-driving electric cars
in China

(CNBC)

-Automotive Evolution News-

Cadillac cancels its car subscription program after just two years

(autoblog)

Ford, Volkswagen explore driverless venture to challenge Tesla, Waymo

(MarketWatch)

GM is making e-bikes as it expands beyond cars

(autoblog)

Hyundai, Kia Motors to develop new solar charging tech for vehicles

(Reuters)

Uber details why its driverless SUV killed a pedestrian and how it's
working to fix safety problems

(LA Times)

Uber says it's ready to start testing self-driving cars again

(Mashable)

VW and Intel's Mobileye Will Launch Autonomous Ride-Hailing Service In
Israel Next Year

(Forbes)

Waymo Gets California's Okay For Human-Free Driving Tests As Robo-Car
Skepticism Rises

(Forbes)

-Automotive Retail News-

5 hottest-selling U.S. vehicles in October: Tesla, Toyota, Subaru make
the list

(USA Today)

FCA, Honda and VW Lead October Auto Sales

(The Detroit Bureau)

GM Financial: More Loans, Fewer Leases in Q3

(Auto Dealer Monthly)

Luxury car owners trade up for American pickups as Ford, GM and Dodge
trucks dominate market

(CNBC)

New Vehicle Prices Continue to Rise in Fourth Quarter

(The Detroit Bureau)

Rising interest rates and prices hurt October auto sales, with SUVs
still faring better than cars

(USA Today)

Rising interest rates pinch U.S. auto sales, consumer confidence

(Reuters)

Vehicle sales reached 11-month high in October

(MarketWatch)

-Automotive Wholesale News-

Car Depreciation Reaches 10-Month High

(Vehicle Remarketing)

Lane watch: Wintry chill hits wholesale prices

(Auto Remarketing)

-Automotive Ownership News-

A Comfortable Place to Spend 38,000 Hours Behind the Wheel

(The New York Times)

-Automotive Enthusiast News-

140-car collection headed to Mecum’s Las Vegas auction

(ClassicCars)

Here are the most Googled car brands of 2018

(autoblog)

-Automotive Servicing News-

AAA offers free Lyft rides to and from repair shops

(autoblog)

New car safety technology saves lives — but can double the cost of
repairs

(NBC)

Stalling prompts recall of 2019 Jeep Cherokees with 2.4-liter engines

(Detroit Free Press)

Subaru, Toyota recall 165,000 U.S. cars with defect that could lead to
engine stalling

(USA Today)

-General Business & Executive News-

Broadcom makes $1 billion patent claim against Volkswagen: Der Spiegel

(Reuters)

New Autotrader Experience Helps Car Shoppers Accelerate Their Deal, Buy
Faster From The Palm of Their Hands

(PR Newswire)

U.S. Auto Industry's October Surprise

(Forbes)

With $50M investment, AutoNation obtains 7% stake in Vroom

(Auto Remarketing)

-AEA Reminder-

Did we miss something? Let us know via our

Contact Us Page >>

. If you have specific important news going public soon that you would like
to share with your fellow AEA Members, submit your

PR Distribution Request >>

Have a great week,

Member Services

memberservices@automotiveexecutives.com

Automotive Executives Association

www.automotiveexecutives.com

Why we invested in WeTrip – the adventure travel platform

We recently announced our investment in WeTrip (here), building on our previous investments in the adventure travel space. Sam Clifton, Associate at InMotion Ventures, explores why we invested in WeTrip. The anguish was fresh in my memory. Plans for a holiday with a group of friends had just fallen through, on account of too many… Continue reading Why we invested in WeTrip – the adventure travel platform

Top Automotive Industry News for Week of November 5 – November 11, 2018

Here is the most important news associated with the automotive industry
identified by the AEA for the week of November 5, 2018 -November 11, 2018.

We hope it helps you stay up to speed on the key developments in our
industry:

-Automotive Manufacturing News-

First ex-UAW official sentenced in FCA-related scandal; gets 1 year

(Detroit Free Press)

Ford plans construction on Michigan Central Depot by year's end

(Detroit Free Press)

Former Tesla employee charged with embezzling $9.3 million from Elon
Musk's company

(MarketWatch)

Is Toyota Next to Pare Back its Passenger Car Line?

(The Detroit Bureau)

Tesla picks an insider to be chairwoman, fueling doubt Elon Musk will
be reined in

(LA Times)

The gas engine still has a long life to live, Aston Martin CEO says

(CNBC)

VW planning $21K EV to challenge Tesla

(The Detroit News)

VW takes another shot at compact pickup market

(The Detroit News)

White House, California to discuss vehicle emissions rules next week

(autoblog)

Why GM is moving 3,000 workers from Pontiac to Warren

(Detroit Free Press)

-Automotive Evolution News-

8 concept cars that show how technology will dominate the drive of the
future

(CNBC)

Autonomous Cars Face Big Hurdles; They Will Succeed, But When?

(Forbes)

Daimler And Bosch Choose San Jose For Their Silicon Valley Robo-Taxi
Service

(Forbes)

GM's future lineup will run on electricity, drive itself — and fly

(Detroit Free Press)

Mercedes-Benz, Bosch to offer self-driving car rides in San Jose,
California

(USA Today)

Tesla Drivers Report Autopilot Disengaging While Driving Due To
Software Bug

(Forbes)

This Robot Truck Startup May Have An Edge Over Waymo In Bad-Weather
Driving

(Forbes)

Uber rival Taxify says it can grow 100 times bigger in the scooter and
ride-hailing market

(CNBC)

Uber ups its driver perks with 'Pro' program, including free college
education

(USA Today)

-Automotive Retail News-

Better inventory listings, lead management anchor more sales

(Auto Remarketing)

CarGurus Helps Dealerships Solve for Attribution with More Insight

(PR Newswire)

Dealertrack Looks to Speed Car Buying Process

(Auto Finance News)

Jumpstart: Car Buyers Want to Negotiate

(Auto Dealer Monthly)

Lithia and Shift to operate separately and share technology

(Auto Remarketing)

Luxury car owners trade up for American pickups as Ford, GM and Ram
trucks dominate market

(CNBC)

Millennials Spending Big on Cars — With Auto Loans to Match

(The Detroit Bureau)

Used car payments hit record $400 per month as prices top $20,000

(USA Today)

Used-Car Prices Reach 13-Year High in Third Quarter

(Vehicle Remarketing)

Used Vehicle Prices Rising, Pushing Buyers to Look at Leasing

(The Detroit Bureau)

-Automotive Wholesale News-

Compact Van Values Dip at Start of November

(Vehicle Remarketing)

-Automotive Ownership News-

Where your car is most likely to be stolen in every state

(USA Today)

-Automotive Enthusiast News-

Inside the World's Most Valuable Hot Wheels Collection

(Car and Driver)

With millions at stake, car collectors scour Earth for lost classics

(Detroit Free Press)

-Automotive Servicing News-

Mazda to recall 640,000 vehicles globally over diesel engine issue

(Reuters)

Subaru recalls nearly 400K vehicles to fix stalling problems

(Detroit Free Press)

U.S. agency probes 1.7 million GM SUVs over wiper failures

(Reuters)

-General Business & Executive News-

CDK Global Names Brian Krzanich President and Chief Executive Officer

(CDK)

Ford buys electric scooter startup Spin, joining competitors Bird and
Lime

(USA Today)

Harley-Davidson's electric motorcycle signals a big change for the
legendary, but troubled, company

(CNBC)

Tesla’s Booming Model 3 Sales and More This Week In The Future Of Cars

(Wired)

Time Dealer Of The Year

(Automotive News)

VW Considers Investing in Ford-Backed Autonomous Unit Argo

(Bloomberg)

-AEA Reminder-

Did we miss something? Let us know via our

Contact Us Page >>

. If you have specific important news going public soon that you would like
to share with your fellow AEA Members, submit your

PR Distribution Request >>

Have a great week,

Member Services

memberservices@automotiveexecutives.com

Automotive Executives Association

www.automotiveexecutives.com