Volvo Motors have announced a new partnership with Microsoft to jointly develop next-generation automotive technologies. The two companies have revealed that Microsoft HoloLens, the world’s first fully untethered holographic computer, might be used in future to redefine how customers first encounter and explore a car, as well as how cars might be bought and sold in future.
Further areas of potential future collaboration between Microsoft and Volvo could include autonomous driving technologies and the utilisation of data generated from connected cars to create new services.
Volvo, as a pioneer in car safety, will be looking to use the partnership to develop their autonomous driving technology through their Drive-Me programme, in which 100 self-driving and connected cars will be given to real customers on real roads around the Swedish city of Gothenburg by 2017, making it the world’s largest autonomous driving experiment.
“We are extremely happy to innovate with Microsoft in the field of future mobility,” said Klas Bendrik, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Volvo Cars. “Today’s technology will allow us to achieve not only a more sustainable and crash-free future but also new benefits for our customers and society. Together with Microsoft we aim to pioneer in this field.”
Other areas of cooperation are expected to include how information gathered by cars and their drivers can be used to enhance the driving experience and the possibility of using predictive analytics to improve safety.
