Emarati Startup Noon Pairs up with China’s Neolix To Bring Driverless Vehicle Tech to MENA

GCC-based online marketplace Noon.com has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Chinese tech company introducing autonomous delivery technology to the UAE and Saudi Arabia, marking the first time the technology is brought to the region.

In a statement released this week, Noon announced that trials will be commenced in Dubai and Abu Dhabi over the next few weeks. The driverless vehicles will be built by the Beijing-based Neoflix, which has more than ten years’ experience in smart logistics. Neolix vehicles have already been released to the streets in a number of tourist attractions, college campuses and logistics parks across China.

According to Noon, driverless vehicle technology can remove up to 90% of the costs associated with the last mile of delivery. “Introducing new technology to the region that will improve the e-commerce experience for customers is something we’re incredibly excited about, Noon is very proud to bring driverless delivery vans to streets in our cities,” says Mohammed AlAbbar, founder of Noon.com and co-founder of AlAbbar Entreprises

Noon.com is a joint venture between Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and AlAbbar Entreprises, operating as one of the leading e-commerce marketplaces in the Gulf and the Middle East.