Conti, Nexteer to Form JV for Autonomous Vehicle Systems

Continental AG and Nexteer Automotive Group Ltd. have agreed to form a 50:50 joint venture to develop control and actuator systems for self-driving cars.

Due to launch in the first quarter, the partnership will combine Nexteer's steering and driver assistance technologies with Continental's automated driving and braking technologies. The venture initially will draw on technical experts and global resources from both parent companies. New hires are expected to be added later.

The team will work to integrate existing braking and steering systems and develop new by-wire technologies, according to the partners. Engineers also will be tasked with creating common safety architectures and strategies for redundant safety systems.

This week Nexteer also announced two steering technologies aimed at semi- and fully autonomous vehicles. One system is designed to smooth the transition between human and self-driving modes. The other reduces steering wheel rotation when a vehicle is turning while in autonomous mode to minimize safety risks caused by a person inadvertently hitting the wheel and overriding the system. Both use Nexteer’s steer-by-wire technology.