Tata Motors, which owns the United Kingdom’s luxury vehicle duo Jaguar Land Rover, has invested $25 million (approximately Rs 1,612 million) in United States-based ride-hailing compay Lyft Inc, reported The Wall Street Journal on Monday. The company is a rival of Uber. Under the agreement, the companies will collaborate on “mobility services”, including self-driving cars.
Lyft drivers will also be supplied with Jaguar Land Rover vehicles on rent. In a statement, Jaguar Land Rover said it would work with Lyft on autonomous driving technology. The Tata Motors’ investment comes via Jaguar Land Rover’s InMotion venture arm.
“Lyft envisions a future where shared mobility will transform cities and improve people’s lives,” Lyft President John Zimmer said in a joint statement. “This partnership will help us achieve that ambitious goal.”
General Motors Company had invested in Lyft Inc and collaborates with the ride-hailing company on self-driving technology. In May, Lyft had announced that it was working with Alphabet Inc’s Waymo. The Google sister company has decided to sue Uber over self-driving technology.
Tata Group had invested at least $100 million (approximately Rs 645 crore) in Uber, and they formed a financing partnership in India last year, reported Gadgets 360. Tata Motors’ announcement comes even as Uber Technologies is going through a crisis, with its Asia-Pacific head Eric Alexander being fired over accessing the medical records of a woman who had been raped by an Uber driver in India in 2014. On Monday, The New York Times reported that Uber may ask its Chief Executive Officer Travis Kalanick to go on a three-month leave amid complaints of sexual harassment, discrimination, and bullying in the company.
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