Stellantis, Wayve Target 2028 Driver-Assist Launch

Stellantis and British autonomous driving startup Wayve said on Thursday they had formed a strategic partnership to bring Wayve’s artificial intelligence driving software into the carmaker’s STLA AutoDrive platform for future hands-free assisted driving.

The companies said in a joint statement on the sidelines of Stellantis’ Investor Day that the first vehicle integration was targeted for North America in 2028.

The system would aim for supervised “Level 2++” driving, meaning the car can handle more driving tasks but the driver must still watch the road and remain ready to take control, on highways and in cities.

Level 2++ requires hands-free supervised driving, a step below fully autonomous operation, requiring the driver to remain available to take control
Franco-Italian-American carmaker’s strategy is to deliver advanced driver‑assistance systems to customers
Wayve’s end-to-end AI approach is designed to generalize across geographies and vehicle types, supporting deployment across multiple markets over time
London-based startup set to integrate its AI Driver into a Stellantis vehicle prototype “in less than two months,” CEO of Wayve Alex Kendall said
Wayve, founded in 2017, develops AI driving software for automakers and fleet operators without relying on high-definition maps
British startup is implementing assisted driving system with Nissan 7201.T targeting a launch in Japan by 2027
Wayve, backed by SoftBank and Nvidia, is also developing robotaxis with Nissan and Uber UBER.N, targeting a Tokyo pilot by late 2026

(Reporting by Tosiani in Gdansk, Piovaccari in Milan; Editing by Matt Scuffham)