Hyundai, Aurora to release autonomous cars by 2021

Hyundai and Volkswagen are hoping Google's former driverless car boss will help them roll out self-driving vehicles on the roads by 2021. Chris Urmson, who now heads up start-up Aurora, will work with the two car manufacturers to develop the technology. The partnerships are the latest in a string of tie-ups between traditional auto companies and tech firms as they race to be first with self-driving vehicles. Hyundai will begin selling its first self-driving vehicles by 2021 in partnership with US based self-driving technology startup Aurora Innovation, which was founded by a former chief technology officer at Google's self-driving car unit Chris Urmson (pictured) Hyundai and Aurora, led by Chris Urmson, the former head of Google's autonomous car team, will bring autonomous vehicles to markets that can operate without human input in most conditions. The auto industry designates that as'level 4 autonomous driving,' just one stage short of fully autonomous driving.