Volvo reveals new robo-taxi in race to autonomy

Gothenburg : Volvo Cars presented a fully electric robo-taxi yesterday, as the Geely-owned Swedish company races to meet an ambitious target for driverless vehicle sales with its Uber supply deal on hold.

Besides city driving, Volvo said the 360c would extend its customer base by tapping into demand from inter-city taxi passengers travelling as far as 300 km (186 miles), allowing it to challenge short-haul airlines and train operators.

Volvo, which is weighing a stock market listing, is trying to make headway in self-driving cars as a mid-size luxury player with more limited resources than a BMW or Audi. It expects autonomous cars to account for a third of sales by 2025, with fully electric cars claiming 50 percent.