Dodge, Jeep’s cool new tech will make Elon Musk and Tesla jealous

The owners of Jeep, Dodge, Alfa Romeo, and Maserati are beating Elon to the punch.

Feb 23, 2025 - 14:11

Dodge, Jeep’s cool new tech will make Elon Musk and Tesla jealous

If there is any non-political topic that Tesla (TSLA) CEO and social media platform owner Elon Musk likes to brag about and praise, it would be the capabilities of his electric vehicle company's Full Self-Driving technology.

Musk has touted the system as a novel piece of technology, seeing it as a mobility solution that would eliminate the 'stresses' of human-controlled driving. Much of the company's future rides on it, and during Tesla's latest earnings call and previous ones, he derided the doubters who don't share his vision.

"Very few people understand the value of self-driving and [Tesla's] ability to monetize the fleet. Some of these things I've said for quite a long time, and I know people have said, 'Well, Elon, the boy who cried like a wolf like several times.' But I'm telling you, there's a damn wolf this time, and you can drive it," Musk told investors and analysts.

"In fact, it could drive you. It's a self-driving wolf."

Though Musk's spiel about FSD and robotaxis is nearly a decade old, his confidence in the technology is enough for him to declare the EV giant as an 'AI and robotics' company. However, one legacy automaker recently revealed that it may be ahead in the tech behind Tesla's golden goose.

Elon, Tesla, meet STLA AutoDrive.

Although it is reworking its strategy and future products following the sudden departure of its embattled CEO Carlos Tavares, Stellantis (STLA) , the parent company of American brands Dodge, Jeep, Chrysler, and Ram Trucks, is still hard at work envisioning and developing cutting-edge tech that will define the future of cars and driving.

Stellantis announced on February 20 that it unveiled STLA AutoDrive 1.0, the automaker's homemade autonomous driving system with SAE Level 3 ADAS functionality.

The 14-brand strong auto giant says that AutoDrive will enable drivers behind the wheel of its vehicles to drive hands-free and with their eyes off the road at speeds up to 37 miles per hour (60 km/h). They state that such a solution is meant to help commuters in stop-and-go traffic and "reclaim valuable time" for tasks other than driving, such as "watching a movie, catching up on emails, reading a book, or simply looking out the window."

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“Helping drivers make the best use of their time is a priority,” said Ned Curic, Stellantis chief engineering and technology officer. “By handling routine driving tasks, STLA AutoDrive will enhance the driving experience, making time behind the wheel more efficient and enjoyable.”

The Jeep parent's AutoDrive system differs greatly from Tesla's Full Self-Driving and Autopilot. As a Level 3 semi-autonomous system, it is at least one step up from what Teslas offers, as the Level 2 systems in cars like the Model 3 still require drivers to keep their eyes on the road while in use. Stellantis notes that at speeds greater than 37 miles per hour, AutoDrive is restricted to Level 2 and Level 2+ functions, including adaptive cruise control and lane centering.

Stellantis also claims that AutoDrive is powered by an "advanced suite" of self-cleaning cameras, radar, and ultrasonic sensors that ensures stable operation "at night or in challenging weather conditions, such as light rain or road spray." In a July 2024 report by the Wall Street Journal, experts largely attributed Tesla's Autopilot and FSD flaws to its overreliance on cameras and machine learning software.

Not ready for primetime just yet, says STLA

In its announcement, Stellantis said that AutoDrive is ready for deployment and can be deployed in global markets in vehicles under its many brands. It further emphasized that it complies with regulations in certain markets and respects local laws regarding what drivers can do behind the wheel, such as being on phones.

However, in a statement to The Verge, a spokesperson for Stellantis said that it won't release the technology just yet, citing market conditions and regulatory hurdles.

"[...]the current market for Level 3 autonomous driving is very limited," they said. "We have made the strategic decision not to launch it at this time. Once the market opens up and becomes more receptive, we will move forward with introducing this advanced technology."

Stellantis has bigger plans for AutoDrive. It says that its engineers are hard at work to make the system operate at higher speeds, closer to 59 miles per hour (95 km/h), and to make elements of the system work while offroading—a possible new feature for certain Jeep vehicles.

Stellantis NV is traded on the New York Stock Exchange as STLA