Stellantis Completes Acquisition of aiMotive
While big players like Volkswagen and Ford have shied away from continued autonomous driving investment, auto group Stellantis is doubling down on the technology.
It has announced that it has finalized the acquisition of aiMotive, a developer of advanced artificial intelligence and autonomous driving software, that it started to sound out last month. The news comes just a few weeks after Ford and Volkswagen pulled the plug on its driverless technology developed Argo AI.
Now aiMotive will operate as a subsidiary of Stellantis, maintaining its operational independence. The automaker says founder László Kishonti will remain as CEO. It will also continue operating on the market with aiSim, aiData and aiWare, delivering its technology solutions in those key areas to third-party customers.
Stellantis will establish a board of directors to oversee aiMotive while hoping to preserve its autonomy and start-up mindset of rapid innovation. Yves Bonnefont, Stellantis chief software officer, said: “The acquisition of aiMotive will accelerate our journey to become a sustainable mobility tech company and deliver our Dare Forward 2030 goals. Thanks to aiMotive’s world-class expertise, we will enhance our artificial intelligence and autonomous driving core technology, expand our global talent pool, and foster the mid-term development of our all-new STLA AutoDrive platform.”
Kishonti added: “In 2015, I founded a company that would develop technologies to shape the future of mobility for everyone. I’m delighted that seven years later we can contribute to Stellantis’ ambition and work together to make millions of customers’ cars better, safer and more intelligent.”
— Paul Myles is a seasoned automotive journalist based in Europe. Follow him on Twitter @Paulmyles_
