Volvo Plans Autonomous Car Trial for U.S.

Volvo plans to launch an autonomous car project in the U.S., but it would come after its Drive Me pilot launches in Sweden in late 2017, according to a report from Automotive News.

“Our ambition is to have a similar project also in the United States,” Lex Kerssemakers, chief executive officer of Volvo Cars of North America, said at the National Automobile Dealers Association convention. “When? I do not know. It is very premature. It is in the very early stages.”

The Drive Me pilot program will put 100 autonomous XC90s on the road in Gothenburg, Sweden, Volvo’s home city, driven by ordinary people on a controlled 31-mile route. The vehicles will be used for daily commuting on road with real traffic. The trial will run until the spring of 2019.