We’re able to pool the investment as well as the technology and execution risk in one place so it doesn’t have to be duplicated by multiple [auto makers] over and over again,” Mr. Clark said.
The pair will jointly invest “several hundred million dollars” in the effort, but a spokesman declined to provide other details.

In January, Delphi and Mobileye expect to demonstrate a system that can navigate tough road conditions, such as entering a roundabout, merging into highway traffic, or making left turns across multiple traffic lanes.

Both companies have deep relationships with car makers, but their system won’t be ready until 2019. Integrating their tech in future vehicles could take as much as two years, the companies concede, making it unlikely to hit the market until 2021 or 2022.

Mobileye Chairman and Chief Technology Officer Amnon Shashua said the pair hope to overcome any timing hurdles by offering “a new level of driving intelligence,” mimicking a driver’s decision making behind the wheel in complex situations. “If we don’t want to clog a city with robotic systems that get stuck in busy traffic, you must endow these systems with intelligence.”

Eoin Treacy's view

Automotive manufacturers have an incentive to deliver on autonomous vehicles because they believe it would have the same effect on car ownership as the introduction of smart phones did for hand held mobile devices. Prior to the introduction of the iPhone most people already had a mobile phone yet they felt compelled to upgrade when the additional benefits of a smartphone were revealed, For companies trying to differentiate themselves in an increasingly competitive market autonomous vehicles represent a compelling vision for the future. 

Delphi Automotive found medium-term support in the region of the $55 from January and is now testing the region of the trend mean. A sustained move above $70 would break the more than yearlong progression of lower rally highs and signal a return to medium-term demand dominance.   

Mobileye rebounded impressively from its February low and has paused mostly below the psychological $50 since July. A sustained move below the trend mean would be required to question medium-term scope for continued upside.