At the Wave by Vento event in Turin, Wayve CEO Alex Kendall and Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa highlighted their collaboration to embed AI driving systems into Stellantis vehicles, aiming to make such technology a standard safety feature akin to seatbelts and emergency braking.
- Wayve AI system tuned for different Stellantis brands including Fiat and Maserati
- Target launch of AI driving tech in North America by 2028
- Wayve focuses on affordable hardware under $1,000 to support mass-market adoption
What happened
At the Wave by Vento event in Turin, Wayve CEO Alex Kendall and Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa discussed their strategic partnership to integrate AI driving technology into Stellantis’ vehicle lineup. The AI system, branded as Wayve AI Driver, will become part of Stellantis’s STLA AutoDrive platform designed for hands-free supervised driving, with initial deployment expected by 2028 in North America.
Demonstrations included rides in a Fiat 500e and Maserati Grecale equipped with the AI, showcasing how Wayve’s technology adapts to different driving styles. This collaboration follows a handshake deal made about five months earlier and aims to deliver a self-learning AI driving system that enhances safety and drives varied experiences across brands such as Jeep and Peugeot.
Why it matters
This partnership signals a pivotal step toward normalizing AI driving technology in everyday vehicles, making it as essential as seatbelts and emergency braking systems. By targeting hardware costs below $1,000, Wayve ensures the solution is accessible for mass-market adoption, potentially accelerating widespread integration of AI driving aids that could reduce road fatalities and improve driving safety.
Wayve’s use of extensive real-world training data across over 100 countries and simulations with their Gaia generative world model underpins a rigorous safety approach. Stellantis’ scale and expertise in vehicle safety and brand differentiation allow for customized AI behavior per brand, preserving unique driving feels while prioritizing safety and reliability.
What to watch next
Key milestones will include the full integration and launch of the AI driving system within Stellantis’s STLA AutoDrive by 2028, initially in North America. The real-world performance and customer reception will shape the technology’s expansion to other markets and Stellantis brands globally.
Additionally, developments in supervised driving will lay the groundwork for future unsupervised, driverless capabilities, with Wayve aiming to surpass the safety of attentive human drivers. Parallel partnerships, such as Wayve’s work with Mercedes-Benz and robotaxi services, will also provide benchmarks for technology maturity and scalability.