Autonomous-car tech investment skyrockets on SoftBank deals
Private investment in autonomous-vehicle companies soared in the second quarter to more than in the last four years combined, according to Bloomberg NEF. Two major deals involving SoftBank Group’s Vision Fund fueled much of the surge to about $5 billion in investment, BNEF analysts wrote in their latest Intelligent Mobility Market Outlook published Wednesday. The fund led a $1.9 billion funding round in Manbang Group, China’s Uber-like truck-rental company. It also committed to a $2.25 billion infusion for General Motors Co.’s autonomous-vehicle division Cruise Automation.