Google’s Self-Driving Car Unit Greenlights Engineering Center in Michigan

May 25, 2016, 12:42 PM ET

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MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA - SEPTEMBER 25: A Google self-driving car is displayed at the Google headquarters on September 25, 2012 in Mountain View, California. California Gov. Jerry Brown signed State Senate Bill 1298 that allows driverless cars to operate on public roads for testing purposes. The bill also calls for the Department of Motor Vehicles to adopt regulations that govern licensing, bonding, testing and operation of the driverless vehicles before January 2015. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)Photograph by Justin Sullivan—Getty Images

Alphabet’s Google self-driving car project said Wednesday it will launch this year a new technology development center in suburban Detroit.

The Mountain View, Calif. Search company said in a blog post that engineers at the facility, located in Novi, Mich., will start with work fitting the company’s autonomous driving systems into Chrysler Pacifica minivans, under a previously announced agreement with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV (FCAU).

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Google (GOOG) said the 53,000-square foot facility “will help us collaborate more easily and access Michigan’s top talent in vehicle development and engineering” as it develops its self-driving vehicle systems.

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