The auto market is one of the hottest today. And the stage is promising for startups, which begin to grow and attract the attention of big players.
Lyft
Lyft
Photo: Reproduction / Canaltech
This is the case of Lyft, rival of Uber. It has fallen on the radar of Alphabet, the holding company that controls Google, and can now receive an investment of $ 1 billion for projects related to standalone cars.
This contribution will give way to a confrontation against Uber, rival of the two companies - Lyft is a direct competitor, while Google wages a legal battle for theft of trade secrets.
The two companies already had friendly relations. In May, Alphabet's autonomous car unit, Waymo, signed an agreement with Lyft to collaborate with technology for these vehicles. Then, in July, Lyft announced that it was forming an autonomous car division and that Waymo would be one of its partners.
This investment also contemplates the study of consumers and how they use the Lyft platform.

Goal for five years

The Lyft project goes on to expand the standalone car business so that in five years they account for most of the company's travel.
Google's investment can help the company achieve this goal and offer a great advantage over Uber.