TechCrunch Mobility: Lyft buys its way into Europe, Kodiak SPACs, and how China’s new ADAS rules might affect Tesla

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April 18, 2025, 8:05 PM

• •Kodiak Robotics merges with SPAC Ares Acquisition Corporation II in a deal valuing the company at $2.5 billion pre-money.
• •Lyft agrees to acquire FreeNow, a German multi-mobility app with ride-hail at its core, from BMW and Mercedes-Benz Mobility for about $197 million in cash.
• •Nuro will begin mapping and collecting data in Japan using autonomous vehicles (retrofitted Prius cars) from its U.S. fleet.
• •Waymo and Uber are preparing to launch their joint robotaxi service in Atlanta this summer.
• •Zoox has partnered with Stingray Music, which will offer a curated selection of 16

This week in transportation: Lyft enters Europe, AV startup Nuro heads to Japan, the first drive of the Lucid Gravity SUV, a few New York International Auto Show highlights, and a SPAC.

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