– Building a partnership towards commercialization of Level 4 autonomous driving in 2027 –

Isuzu Motors Limited (headquartered in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan; President and COO: Shinsuke Minami; hereinafter “Isuzu”) and Gatik AI, Inc. (headquartered in California, United States; CEO: Gautam Narang; hereinafter “Gatik”) have agreed to further enhance the development of the North American autonomous driving business. Isuzu will invest US$30 million in Gatik, forging a strong partnership between the two companies in the pursuit of realizing mobility services based on Level 4 autonomous driving.

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Current Autonomous Vehicle developed by Gatik based on Isuzu F-Series (Photo: Business Wire)

The agreement between Isuzu and Gatik is focused on the development of middle mile autonomous driving and will include the design and development of a new chassis (redundant chassis) that ensures safety when equipped with an autonomous driving system. In April 2024, as part of its mid-term business plan, “ISUZU Transformation - Growth to 2030 (IX)”, Isuzu committed to the establishment of three new business pillars for the future: (1) autonomous driving solutions, (2) connected services, and (3) carbon neutral solutions. In an effort to develop autonomous driving solutions, Isuzu has partnered with Gatik with the aim of launching a level 4 autonomous commercial vehicle business in 2027.

Gatik is the only company that provides autonomous middle mile1 logistics services in North America, using Class 3-72 autonomous driving trucks to deliver goods safely and efficiently. The company is particularly focused on middle mile B2B3 logistics for large companies, and in 2021 it also successfully completed fully driverless commercial middle mile deliveries. Gatik's Class 3-7 autonomous driving trucks are currently commercially deployed in Texas, Arkansas (United States), and Ontario (Canada).

Through this partnership, Isuzu will enter the middle mile autonomous driving business in the LCF4 segment, where the company has already established a market leadership position in the United States and Canada. This advanced technology will also allow Isuzu to actively address pressing issues facing the industry, such as the worsening driver shortage and rapidly increasing delivery needs in North America. Moreover, the two companies will jointly design and develop a new chassis with safety performance that is compatible with the installation of an autonomous driving system with the aim of starting mass production in 2027.

Gautam Narang, CEO and co-Founder of Gatik remarked “In 2021, Gatik launched the world’s first fully driverless commercial transportation service with a Fortune 500 retailer, and we are thrilled to be once again achieving an industry-first milestone by working with our partner Isuzu towards mass production of SAE Level 4 autonomous trucks. This partnership, coupled with Isuzu’s investment in Gatik, signals the company’s confidence in our technology and our world-class team, and we’re excited to bring autonomous transportation to the market at significant scale in the coming years.”

Hiroshi Sato, executive officer of Isuzu commented “As part of our April 2024 mid-term business plan announcement, we are committed to establishing three pillars of new business for the future: autonomous driving solutions, connected services, and carbon neutral solutions. As part of our efforts to develop autonomous driving solutions, we’re delighted to be expanding our relationship with Gatik to be operation ready in 2027.”

Through this collaboration, Isuzu and Gatik are committed to leading innovation in the area of middle mile autonomous driving in North America and providing new value in transportation for the betterment of society.

< Outline of Isuzu>

Company name:

Isuzu Motors Limited

Establishment:

April 1937

Representative:

Shinsuke Minami, President and Representative Director, COO

Number of employees:

45,034（as of the end of March 2024）

Business description:

Manufacture and sale of automobiles, transportation machinery and equipment, engines and other products, their parts, and related materials and supplies.

Website:

https://www.isuzu.co.jp/

<Outline of Gatik>

Company name:

Gatik AI, Inc.

Establishment:

March 2017

Representative:

Gautam Narang, CEO

Business description:

Development of autonomous driving systems, peripheral functions and tools, and providing autonomous driving logistics services.

Website:

https://gatik.ai/

For media: Louise Bristow louise.bristow@gatik.ai gatik@launchsquad.com

 

 

1 middle mile: medium-distance and intermediate logistics that connect individual distribution centers and stores.

2 Trucks in the United States are classified by gross vehicle weight (GVW), and classes 3 to 7 correspond to light to medium-duty trucks in Japan.

3 B2B: Business to Business

4 LCF: Low Cab Forward Truck

 

Louise Bristow, VP Marketing and Communications Louise.Bristow@gatik.ai

LaunchSquad gatik@launchsquad.com