Nissan riding a Wayve of technology

NISSAN and UK-based AI company Wayve have agreed to collaborate in the development of so-called Next-Generation Driver Assistance Technology (aka ADAS) that will utilise AI.

A not unexpected development given the rapidly expanding use of artificial intelligence, their aim is to bring advanced AI-driven driver assistance to mass-produced vehicles worldwide.

The state of play in the field for other manufacturers is unknown suffice to say most if not all may have something similar in the pipeline.

Nissan says the collaboration with Wayve marks a milestone in scaling next-gen autonomous driving solutions for everyday cars.

The Nissan/Wayve system integrates the former’s next-generation ProPilot with the latter’s Wayve AI technology across a broad range of Nissan vehicles, essentially combining Wayve’s embodied AI software with Nissan’s advanced driver-assistance systems to support both ADAS and point-to-point advanced driving.

ProPilot isn’t new having first appeared back in 2016 (for single-lane highway assistance) and was followed three years later by ProPilot 2.0 that added multi-lane support and hands-off functionality.

The features are available across multiple Nissan models to meet diverse customer needs.

Only three months ago (September 2025), Nissan unveiled a prototype featuring Wayve’s cutting-edge embodied AI software called “Wayve AI Driver” that was integrated with Nissan’s Ground Truth Perception technology that uses next-generation LiDAR.

“The prototype demonstrated smooth, safe driving assistance on highways and in complex urban environments,” said Nissan in a statement.

Under the new agreement, Nissan and Wayve will move to the next step and integrate “Wayve AI Driver” into the next generation ProPilot series, enabling deployment in mass-produced vehicles.

Nissan says by leveraging Wayve’s AI technology, it “aims to further enhance the functionality and convenience of ProPilot and deliver advanced systems to global markets, including Japan and North America, to meet diverse customer needs”.

The first Nissan model equipped with this new generation of ProPilot will arrive in the 2027 Japan fiscal year.

In a joint statement, the collaborators said the agreement represents an important advancement for both companies.

“Nissan is the first automaker to commit to deploying Wayve AI systems at scale across a broad range of vehicle segments,” the duo said.

“Wayve’s end-to-end embodied AI, designed with safety at its core, can adapt efficiently to new cities and vehicle platforms with minimal additional development.

“When combined with ProPilot series various sensor configurations including cameras, radar and LiDAR, it can deliver intelligent driving across many vehicle segments.”

Deploying the system into mass-produced vehicles will allow Nissan and Wayve to learn from diverse real-world driving conditions, enabling continuous improvement and strengthening the long-term competitiveness of Nissan’s intelligent driving technologies.

“By combining Nissan’s advanced autonomous driving expertise with Wayve’s state-of-the-art AI technology, we are setting a new benchmark for driver assistance,” said Nissan CEO and president Ivan Espinosa.

“The widespread adoption of our next-generation ProPilot integrated with Wayve AI will deliver safer, more intuitive and more comfortable driving experiences to customers worldwide, while accelerating the transition toward an intelligent mobility future.

“This agreement is an important step in Nissan’s mission to revolutionize mobility making it cleaner, safer, and more inclusive.”

Wayve CEO and co-founder Alex Kendall responded by saying “Nissan is leading the way among global automakers by bringing embodied AI toward mass production”.

“We are proud to partner with Nissan to make next-generation intelligent driving technology accessible to customers worldwide,” he added.

“By combining Wayve’s rapidly advancing AI with Nissan’s engineering and global reach, we can accelerate the pace of innovation toward safe and delightful autonomous mobility.”