Stellantis plans to use artificial intelligence to shorten vehicle development times and introduce more advanced driver-assistance systems, with the first Wayve-powered commercial application targeted for North America in 2028. Antonio Filosa outlined that strategy on October 9 at Wave by Vento in Turin, explaining that Stellantis already works with 24-month development cycles and wants to shorten them further.
Stellantis turns to AI to cut development times and expand hands-free driving
The CEO believes these technologies only create value when customers can easily understand and use them. After two decades of investment, Filosa noted that the growing number of features and technical capabilities can make choosing a vehicle increasingly complicated. Adding more technology only makes sense when it genuinely improves the driving experience.
Stellantis’ wide range of brands also allows the company to address customers with very different expectations, even when several vehicles share the same underlying technology. A Maserati customer expects a different relationship with the car than a Fiat buyer, Filosa explained, highlighting the importance of preserving each brand’s identity during the digital transformation.
The partnership with Wayve will allow Stellantis to use a common technology foundation across multiple models and spread development costs across a much larger number of vehicles. Filosa also sees an opportunity to attract new customers and generate revenue through services while reducing the cost of developing advanced driving assistance.
Stellantis and Wayve announced their partnership in May, and Filosa says the companies have already made significant progress in just five months. The collaboration took shape during a meeting in San Francisco, where the two sides agreed on several key principles. Wayve later opened an office in Detroit near Stellantis’ technical center, bringing its AI specialists closer to the engineers responsible for integrating the technology into vehicles.
At the Turin event, Stellantis brought Fiat 500e and Maserati Grecale development vehicles equipped with the Wayve AI Driver integrated into STLA AutoDrive. Following the Jeep Grand Cherokee demonstration at Stellantis Investor Day, the two vehicles show how the same AI foundation can work across different architectures without requiring engineers to restart development for every model.
The first commercial application will offer supervised hands-free driving in both urban and highway environments, which the companies describe as Level 2++. Drivers will be able to remove their hands from the steering wheel under supported conditions, but they must continue watching the road and remain ready to intervene.
Wayve co-founder and CEO Alex Kendall confirmed that the companies are targeting 2028 for the technology’s North American launch.