Renault, Nissan buy
French tech firm to develop mobility apps
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[September 20, 2016]
PARIS/TOKYO (Reuters) - Renault SA
and Nissan Motor Co announced on Tuesday they would buy French
software development company Sylpheo as they compete with global
automakers and tech firms to develop new services including ride hailing
and car sharing.
The French and Japanese automakers said that the acquisition, under
which they would absorb Sylpheo's 40 engineers and consultants, would
boost their software development and cloud engineering expertise.
"The Sylpheo team of software developers and cloud engineers joining the
Alliance will have a unique opportunity to work on our next generation
of connected cars and other advanced technologies," said Ogi Redzic,
Renault-Nissan's senior vice president of Connected Vehicles and
Mobility Services.
"They will be playing a critical role in this new era of tremendous
change for the global auto industry."
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Automakers from Toyota Motor Corp <7203.T> to General Motors <GM.N> have
been investing in software firms and mobility start-ups to position
themselves for the rise of autonomous driving, ride-sharing and other
connected services which threaten the traditional vehicle ownership
model that has dominated the past century.
Sylpheo will develop the applications for the alliance's connected car
service platform, a Renault spokeswoman said. She said the acquisition
was part of the alliance's recruitment push to hire 300 technology
experts to better compete in the fast-growing mobility services sector.
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![](../images/092016pics/busine57.jpg)
File photo shows workers who check a car at Renault's assembly plant
in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, February 1, 2016. REUTERS/Darley
Shen/File photo
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These services will be integrated with autonomous driving technologies. In July,
Nissan launched a suite of semi-autonomous driving functions in one of its
Japanese minivan models which enables the vehicle to drive on single lane
motorways and navigate congestion.
The two companies plan to launch more than 10 vehicles with autonomous drive
technology by 2020. Nissan is aiming to develop autonomous multiple-lane driving
functions, including lane changes, by 2018, and functions for full urban
driving, including intersection turns, by 2020.
(Reporting by Maya Nikolaeva in Paris and Naomi Tajitsu in Tokyo; editing by
Richard Lough and Simon Cameron-Moore)
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