Oct 17 (Reuters) - Stellantis ( STLA ) and Chinese

autonomous driving firm Pony.ai said on Friday that

they had signed an agreement to jointly develop and test

self-driving vehicles in Europe.

The partnership will combine Pony.ai's autonomous driving

software with Stellantis' ( STLA ) battery-electric medium-sized van

platform designed for SAE Level 4, or hands-off, eyes-off,

driving.

Pony.ai, founded in 2016 in China and operating fully

driverless robotaxi services in major Chinese cities, will

manage European operations through its Luxembourg-based

division.

Testing will start with the Peugeot e-Traveller model in

Luxembourg, with a rollout across European cities from 2026,

focusing on safety, performance, and regulatory compliance, the

companies said.

The partnership will initially focus on light commercial

vehicles (LCVs), a segment where Stellantis ( STLA ), through its Pro One

commercial vehicle business unit, holds a leading position in

Europe.