French maker of driverless shuttles opens US plant

DETROIT — A French maker of self-driving vehicles is opening its first US manufacturing facility.

Navya says it’s opening a 20,000-square-foot factory in Saline, Michigan, about 80 km southwest of Detroit.

The company plans to hire 50 workers and make 25 driverless shuttles at the plant before the end of this year.

The factory is Navya’s first plant outside Europe. It’s close to the University of Michigan, which will begin testing Navya’s driverless shuttles on its campus this fall.

Navya, which is based in Paris and Lyon, France, completed development of its low-speed, driverless shuttle in 2015. There are now 45 shuttles operating worldwide.