The e-commerce giant Amazon has moved another step in the field of autonomous vehicle, with the purchase of Zoox, a California-based company working to design self-driving ride-hailing vehicles.
The Financial Time reports that the deal is worth $1.2 billion.
“Zoox is working to imagine, invent, and design a world-class autonomous ride-hailing experience,” said Jeff Wilke, Amazon’s CEO, Worldwide Consumer. “Like Amazon, Zoox is passionate about innovation and about its customers, and we’re excited to help the talented Zoox team to bring their vision to reality in the years ahead.”
“This acquisition solidifies Zoox’s impact on the autonomous driving industry,” said Aicha Evans, CEO of Zoox. “We have made great strides with our purpose-built approach to safe, autonomous mobility, and our exceptionally talented team working every day to realize that vision. We now have an even greater opportunity to realize a fully autonomous future.”
“Since Zoox’s inception six years ago, we have been singularly focused on our ground-up approach to autonomous mobility,” said Jesse Levinson, Zoox co-founder and CTO. “Amazon’s support will markedly accelerate our path to delivering safe, clean, and enjoyable transportation to the world.”
Zoox will continue to exist as a standalone business, according to Amazon’s announcement, with Aicha Evans, Zoox CEO, continuing in her role, as well Jesse Levinson, Zoox co-founder and CTO. They will continue to lead the team as they innovate and drive towards their mission.
