In April, Waymo said it was leasing and would repurpose a plant owned by American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc. on its Detroit headquarters campus bordering Hamtramck. The $14 million investment puts the Silicon Valley tech company at the center of the North American hub for automakers, suppliers and engineering talent. It also sits across the Detroit River from the Windsor assembly plant that produces Chrysler Pacifica hybrid minivans it uses in its self-driving fleet.
But at least initially the Detroit factory is focusing on integrating Waymo’s fifth-generation driver technology with the help of Canadian auto supplier Magna International Inc. into the electric Jaguar I-PACE SUVs, which come from Austria. The factory has outfitted 30 vehicles that are now in California for development and testing.
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