After Mercedes’ announcement on the autonomous driving of level 3, available in its high-end sedans from 2022 and usable on German motorways, self-driving cars could soon become many more. In addition to Tesla, which has been testing its systems for some time, the other manufacturers have not been watching. And even Stellantis, a group of ‘fresh’ composition after the merger between FCA and PSA, has ambitious goals.
According to reports Automotive News, quoting the words of Joachim Langenwalter, head of the AI, software and hardware division at Stellantis, “level 3 autonomous driving solutions will arrive in 2024, before rolling them out across the model portfolio“. The advance relates in particular to Alfa Romeo, because in the online presentation where information on autonomous driving was shown there was just a car of that brand. It makes sense: Alfa Romeo should become Stellantis’ premium brand alongside Maserati, and therefore equipping it with the best technologies would help to give a boost in the difficult challenge against the German opponents.
In addition to Mercedes and Tesla, Stellantis is also lagging behind BMW: therefore it will be essential to keep the time schedule firmly in place, or even try to anticipate it. His system will be called STLA Brain, and will allow the transition from autonomous driving at level 2 to the next in the SAE classification with an over-the-air update. While as regards the further steps, that is the guide at level 4 and 5, the partnership with Waymo, a company of the Alphabet group (which also controls Google), will be made to bear fruit.
Would it be nice to see an Alfa Romeo driving itself? The speech always ends at the breaking point, that is tradition: if Alfa Romeos were born to be ‘driven’, then the system may not be digested by long-time fans. But looking from the perspective of the market, and of the creation of a new type of clientele accustomed to the technological amenities of German brands, then it could be a kind of ‘necessary evil’. And after all, autonomous driving at level 3 can now only be used on certain sections of German motorways. Elsewhere, an Alfa Romeo will still be able to assert itself ‘physically’.
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