Australasian Bus & Coach — October 2017

(^10) ABC October 2017 busnews.com.au
DRIVERLESS SHUTTLE
FACTORY FOR ADELAIDE
The manufacturing deal follows
talks between Premier Jay
Weatherill and Navya CEO
Christophe Sapet in Paris.
Navya says it is attracted by
South Australia’s carbon-neutral
and renewable energy focus.
The French fi rm currently
has manufacturing operations
in Lyon, France and Detroit,
Michigan. A plant in Adelaide
will secure operations in Europe,
the Americas and Asia-Pacifi c.
Navya’s ARMA shuttles are
electric, 100 per cent driverless
and can carry up to 15 people.
South Australian Premier
Jay Weatherill endorsed the
driverless vehicle company for
its plans to create a
manufacturing base in the state.
“Establishing a driverless
car vehicle operation here
in South Australia is the
perfect bridge connecting
our past in traditional vehicle
Most auto manufacturers
and new entrants will have
driverless car models on the
roads by 2020 and a report by
Intel forecasts the autonomous
vehicle industry will be worth
US$7 trillion by 2050, of which
47 per cent is expected to be
focused within the Asia-Pacifi c
region. In early 2016, South
Australia became the fi rst
Australian state to permit
driverless vehicle testing on
national roads.
manufacturing and our future
in advanced manufacturing
in a clean, carbon-neutral
environment,” he says.
“South Australia is already
leading the nation in driverless
vehicle technology and this is
the next logical step.
“I look forward to partnering
with Navya as we work towards
establishing their Asia-Pacifi c
manufacturing operations here
in South Australia.”
Navya CEO Christophe
Sapet says the move into
Australia is a key part of its
growth strategy and that is
delighted to have been able
to lay the groundwork of a
partnership agreement with
the state government.
South Australia hosted the
fi rst demonstration of an AEV on
Australian soil in 2015 and has
led the nation in autonomous
electric vehicles ever since.
Above: Navya
will strengthen
its regional
operations by
establishing a
manufacturing
facility in South
Australia
Driverless vehicle company Navya will establish an Asia-Pacifi c manufacturing facility in
Adelaide after reaching an agreement with the South Australian Government recently
“SA is already leading
the nation in driverless
vehicle technology
and this is the next
logical step”
NEWS