Magna Expands Relationship with Israeli Lidar Company

Magna International Inc. has made an unspecified investment to expand its collaboration with Innoviz Technologies Ltd., a two-year-old Israeli-based developer of solid-state lidar sensors for self-driving vehicles.

Innoviz completed its second round of funding last month, with Delphi Automotive plc as the lead investor. Last December Magna announced plans to use Innoviz’s lidar technology as part of its autonomous vehicle sensor package.

Innoviz specializes in specializes in MEMS-based (micro-electro-mechanical system) solid-state lidar for long-range highway applications. Solid-state systems, of which there are several types, promise to be significantly less expensive than current lidar that uses individual laser emitters that spin or are swept across a field of vision.