JAGUAR LAND ROVER NORTH AMERICA ANNOUNCES LATEST START-UPS TO JOIN PORTLAND TECH INCUBATOR

30 May 2017

LISNR and PILOT bring new expertise to the Incubator team as their research will focus on transmission over audio and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and connected car services.

  • LISNR and PILOT are the latest start‑ups to join the Jaguar Land Rover Tech Incubator program in 2017
  • The Portland Tech Incubator seeks to encourage, promote and support new automotive, mobility and connected car technologies that are being developed by start‑ups
  • Start‑ups working in automotive tech, the mobility space or connected car technologies are encouraged to apply online for the next cohort at jlrtechincubator.com

(MAHWAH, NJ) May 30, 2017 – Jaguar Land Rover North America has announced that LISNR and PILOT Automotive Labs (PILOT) are the latest start‑ups to join its Portland Tech Incubator, which seeks to encourage, promote and support new automotive, mobility and connected car technologies that are being developed by start‑ups. LISNR and PILOT bring new expertise to the Incubator team as their research will focus on transmission over audio and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and connected car services.

Incubator General Manager, Danielle Alexander, said, "The technologies LISNR and PILOT are developing present us with endless opportunities to broaden our scope of knowledge across data transmission and a suite of driver assistance features. We’re excited to spend the next six months working alongside these teams, and looking forward to seeing what comes out of the partnerships.”

LISNR’s goal is to enhance overall in‑car connectivity as it relates to seat personalization, remote app pairing and keyless access. The company is also working to eliminate the risks of peer‑to‑peer data transmission over connected devices through its ability to transmit data in an offline environment.

PILOT is investing in future technology that offers the ability to apply modern ADAS features to legacy vehicles currently on the roads, improving safety and the driving experience for the customer. PILOT could assist and/or provide drivers with navigation, voice control, road sign and traffic signal detection, forward collision warnings, emergency 911 calls, lane departure alert and obstacle detection. The technology allows for a gradual path from ADAS to autonomous car functionality.

Rihards Gailums, CEO of PILOT Automotive Labs said, “We are excited that our technology has been recognized by a leading premium car brand like Jaguar Land Rover. We believe that not only new, but also existing cars could be made smarter and safer by using our technology by connecting them to the cloud and smart cities.”

Over the next six months, LISNR and PILOT will be provided with a variety of resources including direct investment and services; development support from the Jaguar Land Rover global engineering teams; mentorship; and designated space within the Portland research and development facilities.

Applications for the next cohort to join the Tech Incubator program are now open. Start‑ups working in automotive tech, the mobility space or connected car technologies are encouraged to apply online at jlrtechincubator.com.

Located in Portland, Oregon, the Jaguar Land Rover Tech Incubator launched in January 2016, expanding upon the Jaguar Land Rover Open Software Technology Center (OSTC), established in July 2014. The Incubator is committed to working with approximately 120 start‑up companies over the next decade.

Further information

About Jaguar Land Rover

Jaguar Land Rover is the UK’s largest automotive manufacturer, built around two iconic British car brands: Land Rover, the world’s leading manufacturer of premium all‑wheel‑drive vehicles; and Jaguar, one of the world’s premier luxury sports sedan and sports car marques.

The company employs over 40,000 people globally, with 330 in the U.S. and supports around 275,000 more through our dealerships, suppliers and local businesses. Manufacturing is centered in the UK, with additional plants in China, Brazil, India and Slovakia.

At Jaguar Land Rover we are driven by a desire to create class‑leading products that deliver great customer experiences. The largest investor in R&D in the UK manufacturing sector, we have invested £12 billion (USD$15.7 billion) in the last five years and in the current year alone will spend over £3.5 billion (USD$4.5 billion) on new product creation and capital expenditure. Last year Jaguar Land Rover sold over 583,000 vehicles in 136 countries, with nearly 80 percent of our vehicles produced in the UK being sold abroad.