The new partnership with Luminar underlines Mercedes-Benz’s policy of continuously expanding its network of top-flight tech partners and suppliers for passenger cars. The intent of this partnership is to leverage the foundational lidar technology from Luminar with the aim to industrialize and integrate it into series production Mercedes-Benz vehicles. By shortening development cycles and strengthening technology partnerships Mercedes-Benz seeks to ensure that its vehicles have the most up-to-date technologies.

“Luminar is the perfect addition to our existing roster of first-class cooperations with leading and cutting–edge tech companies. Mercedes-Benz’s achievement of SAE Level 3 already marked a huge milestone for automated driving and I am absolutely convinced that partnerships will increase our level of ambition for what is possible in future. Cooperation is an essential part of Mercedes-Benz’s strategy. Therefore, I am highly delighted to have Austin Russell and Luminar on board for our journey,” says Markus Schäfer, member of the board of management of Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG, chief technology officer responsible for development and procurement.

“This partnership is a landmark moment in the industry, demonstrating how substantially increased safety and autonomous driving functions on consumer vehicles are going from sci-fi to mainstream,” said Austin Russell, Founder and CEO of Luminar. “Mercedes-Benz has always been a technological leader and first mover for the industry, with the brand synonymous with automotive innovation, safety, luxury, and quality.”

As part of the partnership, Mercedes-Benz will enable Luminar with a data driven development approach for continuous product improvement and updates.