BlackBerry switches gears to join self-driving race

Ottawa

CANADA's BlackBerry Ltd will open an autonomous driving research center on Monday, as it tries to make itself an indispensable under-the-hood piece of the automotive industry's weaponry in the self-driving vehicle arms race.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will attend the launch by the Ontario-based smartphone pioneer, the prime minister's office said on Sunday. A BlackBerry spokesman deferred any comment on the project until Monday.