The race for self-driving vehicles is revving up again with Stellantis, the parent company of Jeep, Ram, Dodge, and Chrysler announcing a significant partnership with hailing service provider Uber, Nvidia, and Foxconn to develop autonomous robotaxis.
Under the deal, the firms will also deploy the self-driving vehicles. According to The Verge, the agreement stipulates that Stellantis will manufacture the vehicles, while Foxconn and chip making giant will provide the self-driving technology as well as systems integration.
Under this deal, Uber will then roll out the finished robotaxis on its global ride-hailing platform. For Uber, the initiative comes as the company is also actively championing the crucial role of AI in the transportation tech, hoping to leverage the technology for growth.
Uber will start with a 5,000 vehicle rollout in the US
Production is scheduled to start in 2028 and Uber will initially launch 5,000 vehicles in the US markets before expanding the program internationally. Recently, Uber teamed up with AI specialist Wayve to trial fully autonomous rides across the UK, with no human behind the wheel, beginning in spring 2026 as previously reported by Cryptopolitan. With this partnership with Wayve, a London-based startup backed by SoftBank, Uber aims to bring driverless journeys to passengers in London.
According to Stellantis, its “AV-Ready” platforms such as the K0 Medium Size Van and the STLA Small –are designed with flexibility in mind, capable of supporting multiple passengers and configurations suited for autonomous operation.
As for Nvidia, its Drive AGX Hyperion 10 platform will power the vehicles’ brains, combining the company’s DriveOS software with advanced AI hardware for autonomous decision-making.
According to the agreement, Foxconn, which is better known for assembling Apple’s iPhones, will aid with hardware and systems integration – though the company’s exact role remains somewhat vague. Beyond semiconductors and smartphones, Foxconn has earlier revealed that it is actively pursuing growth in the electric-vehicle (EV) sector. Its subsidiary, Foxtron Vehicle Technologies, established in partnership with Yulon Motor, signed a memorandum of understanding with Mitsubishi Motors to design and manufacture a new EV model in Taiwan.
Now, the partnership with Stellantis and the other firms signals a renewed enthusiasm for autonomous mobility after years of scepticism and shutdowns across the industry because of safety concerns and high development costs. By pooling expertise from multiple sectors, automotive, technology, and ridehailing – the partners aim to overcome previous hurdles that have stalled the commercialisation of self-driving vehicles.
Analysts are however still cautious that such partnerships often resemble supplier agreements more than equal partnerships. Already, Nvidia supplies autonomous tech to several other automakers, including General Motors and Lucid, while Uber has made it clear that its platform will host robotaxis from a range of manufacturers, such as Waymo and Volkswagen.
For Stellantis, the deal highlights its growing focus on automation. The vehicle making giant has been developing Level 3 semi-autonomous systems for its major brands. It previously signed another separate robotax partnership Pony.ai to develop and test driverless vehicles in Europe.
On successful implementation, the new venture could mark a turning point in the long-delayed promise of driverless mobility—potentially ushering in a new era where hailing a ride might not require a human driver at all.
