Anaheim, California – Isuzu North America Corporation has announced a partnership with Gatik to collaborate on a line of fully autonomous medium-duty trucks. The project is the first of its kind in the industry, and capitalizes on Isuzu’s track record as a market leader in Low Cab Forward trucks in the North American market, as well as Gatik’s expertise in automating on-road transportation networks for middle-mile logistics.
“By bringing these two teams together, we can create segment-changing technology while positioning Gatik to safely commercialize autonomous delivery technology at scale,” said Gatik’s CEO and Co-Founder Gautam Narang. “Isuzu N-Series trucks have been best-sellers in their class in the combined U.S.-Canadian market for 35 consecutive years, making them an ideal fit for our solution. We are excited to combine our industry-leading expertise and bring a long-term, sustainable solution to the supply chain.”
With the first vehicles expected to launch later this year, the company plans to integrate Gatik’s autonomous driving technology into existing Isuzu medium-duty N-Series platforms, producing SAE Level 4 delivery vehicles with included redundant systems.
“As customer requirements for the medium-duty product evolve at an increasingly rapid pace, having the ability to collaborate with Gatik, an industry leader in autonomous technology is very exciting for our team,” said Takashi Sadaoka, President and CEO of Isuzu North America Corporation.
The collaboration comes as a result of increasing e-commerce sales in addition to a shortage of drivers that have caused difficulties meeting the growing demand from businesses. Combining Isuzu’s award-winning truck platform with Gatik’s operational expertise and innovative software will help address industry weak points, lower operating costs, decrease delivery times, and ensure that retailers have access to the capacity that they require.
Photo: Isuzu North America