Waymo in talks with Hyundai Motor to produce autonomous taxis, says a Reuters media report

SEOUL (Reuters) – Alphabet’s ( NASDAQ: ) Waymo is in talks with South Korea’s Hyundai Motor ( OTC: ) to outsource production of self-driving vehicles, South Korea’s Electronic Times newspaper reported.

Waymo and Hyundai Motor officials have met more than three times to discuss a plan to use Hyundai Ioniq 5 electric vehicles for Waymo’s sixth-generation self-driving technology, the report said, adding that the vehicles will replace offerings from China’s Zeekr, which Waymo is currently testing.

The report came as President Joe Biden’s administration last week blocked steep tariff hikes on Chinese imports, including a 100 percent tax on electric vehicles that will take effect on Sept. 27.

Regarding the press report, Waymo said in a statement to Reuters: “We’re going to decline to comment on speculation, but I can tell you that we’re working hard to validate Waymo’s sixth-generation driver on the Zeekr platform, and we plan to- we introduce it to our fleet when it is ready”.

Hyundai Motor Group said “nothing is determined at this stage regarding new business,” referring to its plan to sell its vehicle platform to self-driving technology companies.

Motional, a self-driving technology unit of Hyundai Motor Group, earlier this year delayed plans to launch a robotaxi service with the next-generation Hyundai Ioniq 5 robotaxi until 2026 as it laid off hundreds of workers in the United States, TechCrunch reported in May. .

Waymo acquired vehicles from Stellantis (NYSE: ) and Jaguar Land Rover and integrated its technology into base vehicles to provide autonomous transportation services in Phoenix, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Waymo is also testing vehicles from Zeekr equipped with its next-generation technology. Zeekr is the electric car brand of Geely Automobile Holdings (OTC:) in China.

Alphabet said in July that it planned a $5 billion investment in Waymo over several years as the company expands its areas of autonomous transportation services.