Porsche Banks on AI Assisted Breakdown Start-Up

Paul Myles

TU-Editor

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24th January 2019

German sportscar manufacturer Porsche is investing in a start-up that uses AI to rapidly provide breakdown and emergency assistance to consumers.

Its investment arm, Porsche Ventures, has announced it is taking part in a $21M investment in Urgent.ly along with BMW i Ventures, InMotion Ventures and the venture capital division of Jaguar Land Rover.

The US start-up’s platform claims to employ AI and geolocation to connect drivers, service providers and carmakers in real time. The service says it provides transparency regarding the location, to the second, and the expected arrival time of the roadside assistance provider. In the US, more than half of all roadside assistance providers are already connected to the platform, which serves around 45,000 networked vehicles.

Kilian Sauerwald, director aftersales region and market development at Porsche, said: “Urgent.ly is an innovative platform solution which impresses with its speed and transparency. It is also internationally scalable. We are convinced that it can help increase customer satisfaction levels in critical situations.”

— Paul Myles is a seasoned automotive journalist based in London. Follow him on Twitter @Paulmyles_