Stellantis is accelerating its automated driving ambitions through a new strategic partnership with AI driving technology company Wayve. The collaboration will see Wayve’s AI Driver integrated into the automaker’s STLA AutoDrive platform, enabling hands-free, supervised Level 2++ driving capabilities in both urban and highway environments.
The agreement represents the next phase of cooperation between the two companies following Stellantis’ earlier investment in Wayve. By combining Wayve’s AI-driven automated driving intelligence with Stellantis’ engineering expertise and large-scale manufacturing capabilities, the companies aim to deliver a more intuitive and natural driving experience for future vehicles.
Under the partnership, the initial focus will center on supervised hands-free driving that supports door-to-door travel across city streets and highways. The technology is designed to continuously evolve toward higher levels of automation as regulations and customer demand progress.
The first production vehicle integration is planned for North America in 2028.
AI-Driven Hands-Free Driving for Future Stellantis Vehicles
Stellantis says the STLA AutoDrive platform will serve as the scalable foundation for deploying advanced driver assistance technologies across its global lineup of brands. Wayve’s AI Driver is designed using an end-to-end machine learning approach capable of adapting across different vehicle types and geographic regions.
Unlike traditional rule-based systems, Wayve’s technology is engineered to learn from real-world driving data, enabling more human-like driving behavior and continuous improvement over time. The companies believe this approach can accelerate deployment while making advanced driver assistance systems more adaptable and scalable.
According to Stellantis Chief Engineering and Technology Officer Ned Curic, the partnership is focused on transforming how drivers interact with their vehicles through intuitive and enjoyable hands-free driving experiences while maintaining safety at the core.
Wayve Co-founder and CEO Alex Kendall highlighted the speed of the collaboration, noting that prototype integration on Stellantis vehicle platforms was achieved in less than two months.
Building Toward More Advanced Automation
The partnership aligns with Stellantis’ broader strategy of developing software-defined vehicles and expanding advanced driver assistance technologies across its portfolio. The STLA AutoDrive platform is expected to support future upgrades toward increasingly automated driving functions as the technology matures.
Early development work on Stellantis vehicles is already underway, with both companies reporting promising initial performance results. The collaboration is intended to create a flexible AI-driven system capable of scaling across millions of vehicles globally.
As competition in the automated driving sector intensifies, the Stellantis-Wayve partnership signals growing industry momentum behind AI-first driving systems that can adapt and improve through continuous real-world learning.
