Nearly every major multinational automaker and many Tier One suppliers have at least one active partnership, and some — BMW, Hyundai, Aptiv and Waymo — have several.

The extent of those alliances ranges from a simple vehicle supply/retrofit agreement, as Waymo has with Fiat Chrysler and Magna, to deep development programs, as with Argo, Ford and Volkswagen.

 

Here are some of the key players and their partnerships:

 

Argo

Partnered with Ford and VW, both of which are investors with a combined stake estimated at just under 80%. Considering wide variety of AV applications, including transport of people and goods. Initial commercial launch (with Ford) in late 2021. Valuation: $7.25 billion (source: Argo).

 

Cruise Automation

Majority-owned by General Motors. Investors include Honda, SoftBank and T. Rowe Price, with Honda as development partner. Focused initially on robotaxis, deployed through its own yet-to-be-built network. Commercial launch postponed indefinitely. Valuation: $19 billion (source: GM).

 

Uber ATG

Majority-owned by Uber Technologies. Investors include Toyota, Denso and SoftBank, with Toyota and Volvo as development partners. Focused initially on robotaxis, deployed through Uber's existing ride services network. Commercial launch uncertain. Valuation: $7.25 billion (source: Uber).

 

Waymo

Wholly owned by Alphabet. Focused initially on robotaxis. Waymo has vehicle supply deals with Fiat Chrysler and Jaguar Land Rover, and an assembly deal with Magna, and is considering cooperation with the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance. Waymo has begun offering customers rides in a small fleet of self-driving vehicles deployed through Lyft's network in Phoenix. Valuation: $105 billion (Morgan Stanley estimate).

 

Aurora

Silicon Valley startup with development deals with Hyundai and Fiat Chrysler. Major investors include Hyundai/Kia, Amazon, Shell, Sequoia and T. Rowe Price. Developing self-driving system that can be used in a variety of applications in cars, trucks and vans. Valuation: $2.6 billion (PitchBook estimate)

 

Aptiv

Tier One supplier spun off from Delphi Automotive in late 2017. Acquired AV startup nuTonomy just before spinoff. In September 2019, transferred most self-driving assets to a new $4 billion joint venture with Hyundai. Partnerships with Hyundai, Lyft, BMW, Fiat Chrysler, Intel, Continental and Magna. Focused initially on robotaxis. Publicly traded. Market cap: $24 billion.

(Reporting by Paul Lienert in Detroit; Editing by Tom Brown)