Stellantis pushes ahead with autonomous driving and a new industrial phase

(Alliance News) - Stellantis is accelerating its autonomous driving efforts with a new agreement while facing industrial difficulties related to the Stla Small platform for small cars, originally designed by PSA as an electric base and frozen for six months in 2024 under Carlos Tavares' management, MF-Milano Finanza reported on Wednesday.

Les Echos reports that the new Peugeot 208 will not arrive before mid-2027 and will initially be electric only, with thermal and hybrid versions expected more than two years later, a delay that risks penalizing the model compared to competitors such as the Renault Clio and Volkswagen Polo. The same issues also affect the Opel Corsa, expected in 2028, and the 2008 a few months later.

According to MF-Milano Finanza, the electric configuration of the Stla Small could generate critical issues in Italy similar to those of the Stla Large in Cassino. The issue concerns Pomigliano, where the Italy Plan agreed with the Ministry of Enterprise led by Adolfo Urso envisages two new compact cars based on the platform from 2028. A further slowdown in the adaptation to integrate hybrid engines would risk delaying the programs, with possible effects on the plant's production saturation.

At the same time, Stellantis is strengthening its autonomous driving strategy following agreements with Pony.ai, Nvidia, Uber, and Foxconn, signing a new partnership with Bolt, which operates in over 50 countries.

The agreement provides for the start of testing on level 4 autonomous vehicles in 2026 and the first production in 2029, with the integration of the group's AV-Ready platforms, from Stla Small itself to eK0 vans, into the mobility services of the Estonian partner, which aims to put 100,000 autonomous vehicles on the road by 2035.

The two groups will work with EU authorities on certification, safety, cybersecurity, and data protection. Antonio Filosa highlighted the benefits in terms of traffic and emissions, while Markus Villig pointed to the combination of Stellantis engineering and Bolt's operational scale.

By Antonio Di Giorgio, Alliance News reporter

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