Escalade

Make
Cadillac
Segment
SUV

Back in May, Stellantis announced a new joint venture with iPhone maker Foxconn called Mobile Drive that will see the two companies collaborate to develop advanced digital car cockpits and connected services. This is just one part of Stellantis' new "software and electrification transformation" strategy.

Stellantis is investing €30 billion ($33 billion) to develop next-generation technology platforms that will enable over-the-air updates for most of its new cars by 2024, making them more connected and technologically advanced than ever. So far this year, Stellantis has deployed over six million OTA updates to its vehicles and plans to offer updates at least every quarter by 2026.

Stellantis currently has 12 million connected cars on the road globally. By 2026, Stellantis expects this to increase to 26 million vehicles with software-enabled products and subscription services such as Cadillac's Super Cruise available for the Escalade. These products will generate around €4 billion ($4.5 billion) in revenue by 2026. By 2030, Stellantis expects to have 34 million connected vehicles on the road and make approximately €20 billion ($22.5 billion) in annual revenues.

In addition, Stellantis has announced three AI-powered technology platforms that will be deployed across Stellantis's four vehicle platforms in 2024. The first tech platform known as STLA Brain is fully OTA-capable with 30 modules instead of today's 10. The flexible platform enables software developers to "create and update features and services quickly without waiting for a new hardware launch" and "breaks today's bond between hardware and software generations."

Stellantis says the OTA updates will "dramatically reduce costs for both the customers and Stellantis, simplify maintenance for the user and sustain vehicle residual values."

Powered by the Mobile Drive joint venture with Foxconn, the second platform, dubbed STLA SmartCockpit, will enable AI-based applications, such as navigation, voice assistance, e-commerce marketplace and payment services and "seamlessly integrate with the digital lives of vehicle occupants to create a customizable third living space."

Foxconn will also design new semiconductors for Stellantis and third-party companies. These four families of chips will cover "more than 80 percent of the company's micro-controllers' needs." Crucially, it will also simplify the supply chain, hopefully preventing parts shortages caused by the semiconductor chip crisis from happening again.

Finally, the third STLA AutoDrive platform is being developed in partnership with BMW to offer Level 2, Level 2+ and Level 3 autonomous driving technology that will be upgraded through OTA updates.

"Our electrification and software strategies will support the shift to become a sustainable mobility tech company to lead the pack, leveraging the associated business growth with over-the-air features and services and delivering the best experience to our customers," said Carlos Tavares, Stellantis CEO. "With the three all-new, AI-powered, technology platforms to arrive in 2024, deployed across the four STLA vehicle platforms, we will leverage the speed and agility associated with the decoupling of hardware and software cycles."