NAVYA (FR0013018041- Navya), an autonomous mobility systems leader, signs a strategic alliance with Lohr, an industrial group known worldwide for its expertise in the engineering, production and marketing of systems for the transportation of people and goods.
The signing of the alliance coincides with a sharp increase in the demand for autonomous mobility solutions throughout the world, with its attendant challenges in terms of design, certification and industrialization.
Once the initial validation of the technical and commercial feasibility phase has been completed, Navya and Lohr will set up a joint roadmap with a view to automating currently available rolling bases and producing them in series. The self-driving vehicles that will be produced by the partnership will enable both parties to widen and diversify their product portfolios with approved mobility solutions that will be competitive in their priority target regions of Europe, the Middle East and North America.
Navya will contribute its expertise in autonomous mobility systems and will be responsible for integrating them in existing rolling bases, while Lohr will bring its engineering skills to the alliance, together with its experience in the industrialization of vehicles on a large scale, and its footprint on three continents.
One of the partners’ first projects will be the development of a self-driving vehicle based on the Cristal by Lohr industrial model. Its robotic architecture has been set up to manage the vehicle’s mechanics, materials and software. It will be automized by Navya and industrialized by Lohr.
The alliance will be kicked off by the integration of Navya’s AD Pack and the Navya Drive self-driving software in several Cristal by Lohr electric shuttles. This will enable a series of tests to be carried out and a number of test drives to take place in real life conditions with a view to the industrialization and marketing of the new line.
This first joint self-driving model will be known as Cristalya. It will be 100% electric and have a capacity of up to 18 passengers. Furthermore, it will offer operators a shared mobility solution, adaptable to a variety of use cases, that is both autonomous and is designed for and is fully compliant with the norms governing public transportation.
François Lhomme, CEO of the Lohr Group: “We are convinced of the pivotal role autonomous mobility will play in the years to come and of the necessity to participate in a dynamic ecosystem which marries skills and complementarity.Navya and Lohr share a vision of the challenges ahead and will draw up a roadmap on solid foundations for our march towards large scale industrialization, while our alliance will strengthen our strategy for growth in the autonomous mobility market.”
Sophie Desormière, CEO of Navya: “The alliance between Lohr and Navya will enable us to create the optimal conditions to strengthen our leadership in terms of innovation and industrialization in the field of autonomous solutions for the transportation of people and goods. It will also allow us to widen our product and service portfolio to better respond to the needs of our customers. Pooling our skills and processes with Lohr represents a major new step in our strategic development towards the large scale automization of existing rolling bases.”