Hyperdrive
Daimler Invests in Lidar Startup to Bolster Self-Driving Truck Effort
- Truck unit is buying a stake in the laser-sensor startup
- Former Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche joining Luminar as advisor
This article is for subscribers only.
Daimler AG’s truck unit is investing in a laser-sensor startup to bolster its development of self-driving trucks in the U.S. less than a week after striking a deal to use driverless technology from a unit of Google parent Alphabet Inc.
Daimler Truck AG said Friday it will take a minority stake in Luminar Technologies Inc., a lidar developer that plans to go public via a reverse merger. The world’s biggest commercial-vehicle maker joins other investors including tech billionaire Peter Thiel and an arm of Volvo Car AB in an equity financing ahead of the startup’s public-market debut.