Stellantis, Wayve and Uber signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding to jointly develop and deploy Level 4 driverless robotaxis at global scale — the clearest sign yet that the mass-market AV playbook has settled on ecosystem partnerships rather than in-house full-stack builds. The announcement was made simultaneously from Amsterdam, London and San Francisco.
Three roles, one stack
Under the framework, each partner brings one of the three ingredients required to commercialize autonomy at global scale. Stellantis will design, engineer and manufacture vehicles on its new STLA L4-Ready Platforms, purpose-built with embedded sensor suites and the redundancy needed for driverless duty cycles. Wayve provides its Embodied AI Driver — an end-to-end neural network that runs without HD maps or city-by-city re-engineering, letting the same software adapt across regions and driving cultures. Uber will deploy those vehicles on its global marketplace, plugging them into the app used for more than 75 billion trips to date.
Building on existing deals
The MoU extends two relationships that are already live. Stellantis and Wayve announced a L2++ partnership in May to bring hands-free, door-to-door supervised driving to Stellantis' consumer brands. Uber and Wayve already have a separate agreement to launch autonomous rides in London, Tokyo and ten other cities starting this year. Bundling all three into one framework locks the group into a single production, software and distribution pipeline for the years ahead.
Ecosystem beats vertical integration
"Successfully scaling autonomous mobility means bringing together the right vehicles, technology and platform in a seamless way," said Sarfraz Maredia, Uber's global head of autonomous mobility. Ned Curic, Stellantis' chief engineering and technology officer, framed the platform as "designed from the ground up for safe and efficient driverless operation." The move mirrors the strategy that has helped Waymo scale without designing its own vehicle — but does it with a proven mass-market OEM behind the metal.
No timeline, big signal
The MoU is non-binding and does not carry firm production numbers or a launch date, but it establishes the framework for follow-on agreements covering technology licensing, production and vehicle procurement. Initial deployments will focus on European and North American cities. For Wayve, the deal reinforces its case that Embodied AI — not HD maps — will be the way robotaxis actually scale. For Stellantis, it turns 14 brands into a hardware channel for third-party autonomy. For Uber, it locks in another supply of driverless capacity to feed a marketplace that has already committed to a 20-plus AV partner strategy.
Reporting based on coverage from Stellantis, Wayve, Uber, InsideEVs and just-auto.