Aurora partners with Fiat Chrysler over self-driving tech

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Self-driving car software startup Aurora said on Sunday it would partner with Fiat Chrysler to build autonomous platforms for commercial vehicles, the latest collaboration with an automaker for the fast-growing Silicon Valley company.

The deal with one of the Big Three will expand Aurora's scope, "allowing us to offer a variety of solutions to strategic customers in logistics, transit and other use cases," the Palo Alto, California-based company said in a brief statement.

Besides for ride hailing fleets, automakers and others are interested in self-driving technology for commercial applications, such as delivery vans.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

Aurora already has partnerships with Volkswagen AG, Hyundai Motor Co and China's Byton to develop and test self-driving systems for a range of applications for automakers, fleet owners and others.

The company is among dozens of startups, automakers and large technology companies working on self-driving car systems, eager to capitalize on a sea change in the transportation industry brought by developments in machine learning.

Fiat Chrysler has an existing partnership with Waymo, Alphabet's self-driving unit, in which it supplies Chrysler Pacifica hybrid minivans for Waymo's driverless fleet, which is currently in operation in Arizona.

In February, Aurora said it had raised $530 million (£416.5 million) in new funding.

(Reporting by Alexandria Sage; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)