---
title: "Daimler Will Build Self-Driving Cars for Uber"
description: "\"Making cars is really hard,\" said Uber CEO Travis Kalanick. Luckily, Mercedes-Benz's parent company is here to help."
date: "2017-01-31"
modified: "2017-01-31"
authors:
  - name: "Aaron Brown"
    job_title: "Staff Editor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/aaron-brown"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/7253/daimler-will-build-self-driving-cars-for-uber"
categories:
  - "News"
tags:
  - "Daimler"
  - "Mercedes-Benz"
  - "Uber"
---

# Daimler Will Build Self-Driving Cars for Uber

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2017/01/gettyimages-537555900.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com\</em\>*

Uber CEO Travis Kalanick announced in a blog post on Tuesday that Mercedes-Benz's parent company Daimler would be building and supplying self-driving cars to the app-based ride-hailing company.

"We are incredibly excited by the potential for self-driving cars to further our mission of [bringing reliable transportation to everyone](<https://newsroom.uber.com/uber-daimler-self-driving-cars/>), everywhere," wrote Kalanick. "They will also help to reduce traffic accidents, which today kill many people a year; free up the huge amount of space currently used to park the world’s billion-plus cars; and cut congestion, which is choking our cities."

The CEO went on to explain that Uber needs the help of an experienced automaker like Daimler because the ride-hailing company has no background in car building. "Making cars is really hard," said Kalanick.

Currently, it's unclear when Daimler will begin supplying the cars to Uber. In a press release from the auto group, Daimler said the autonomous vehicles will roll out ["in the coming years."](<https://media.daimler.com/marsMediaSite/en/instance/ko/Daimler-and-Uber-join-forces-to-bring-more-self-driving-vehi.xhtml?oid=15453638&ls=L2VuL2luc3RhbmNlL2tvLnhodG1sP29pZD00ODM2MjU4JnJlbElkPTYwODI5JmZyb21PaWQ9NDgzNjI1OCZib3JkZXJzPXRydWUmcmVzdWx0SW5mb1R5cGVJZD00MDYyNiZ2aWV3VHlwZT10aHVtYnM!&rs=1>)

Uber first unveiled its self-driving tech to the public last September. Those cars were primarily Ford Fusions and Volvo XC90s fitted with Uber's own self-driving tech and put to work roaming the streets of [Pittsburgh](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/4895/uber-and-volvo-rolling-out-self-driving-taxis-in-pittsburgh-this-month>), [San Francisco](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/6529/california-tells-uber-to-halt-its-self-driving-car-program-immediately>), and [Arizona](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/6656/did-a-twitter-campaign-draw-ubers-self-driving-cars-to-arizona-after-california-shut-them-down>).

"Mobility service providers offer an ideal platform for autonomous driving technology and[ Uber is a leading mobility](<https://media.daimler.com/marsMediaSite/en/instance/ko/Daimler-and-Uber-join-forces-to-bring-more-self-driving-vehi.xhtml?oid=15453638&ls=L2VuL2luc3RhbmNlL2tvLnhodG1sP29pZD00ODM2MjU4JnJlbElkPTYwODI5JmZyb21PaWQ9NDgzNjI1OCZib3JkZXJzPXRydWUmcmVzdWx0SW5mb1R5cGVJZD00MDYyNiZ2aWV3VHlwZT10aHVtYnM!&rs=1>) platform company," wrote Daimler Chairman Dieter Zetsche in a press release.

## Author
Aaron was previously a contributing writer with Jalopnik and has also written for Business Insider covering cars. When he's not in the office writing the news, you'll probably find him thrashing a beater car around a RallyCross.

### Author social links  
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