Wayve, a pioneer in embodied AI for automotive, is extending its global footprint in mainland Europe with the launch of an on-road testing and development hub in Germany and the deployment of a new fleet of Wayve test vehicles. This strategic expansion strengthens Wayve’s presence in one of the world’s leading automotive hubs and reinforces its commitment to advancing AI-driven products for assisted and automated driving.
Germany’s diverse and demanding driving environment – ranging from high-speed autobahns to urban complexity and winter road conditions – provides an ideal setting to refine and validate Wayve’s AI-powered driving technology. The new Baden-Württemberg testing and development hub will focus on enhancing ADAS features, such as lane change assistance, and advancing automated driving capabilities for future production-ready solutions. The site in Germany also provides access to a strong pool of engineering talent, particularly in software, essential for Wayve’s product development.
Alex Kendall, co-founder and CEO of Wayve, said, “2025 is a year of global expansion for Wayve, and we are incredibly excited to establish operations in Germany. With its rich automotive heritage and deep engineering expertise, Germany is a perfect place to accelerate the development and deployment of AI-powered driving technology. I look forward to partnering with Germany’s world-leading manufacturers and Tier 1 suppliers to bring safe, scalable and production-ready AI software to vehicles worldwide.”
Dr Patrick Rapp, state secretary at the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Tourism of the Federal State of Baden-Württemberg said, “The state government very much welcomes the planned settlement of Wayve in Baden-Württemberg. Innovations in the areas of vehicle automation and digitalization are a key driver of the current structural change in the automotive industry and a basic requirement for maintaining the technological competitiveness of the German automotive industry. Baden-Württemberg laid the foundations early on to specifically promote the future technology of AI. We cover a diverse spectrum from basic research to application-oriented, business-related research. As a leading developer of embodied AI technology, Wayve thus meets a network of strong partners and users in Baden-Württemberg.”
Wayve’s entry into the German market marks a key step in its global expansion, following a US$1.05bn Series C funding round and successful testing programs in the UK and USA. As auto makers transition toward AI-powered mobility, Wayve sees strong growth in the German market. Its customizable, vehicle-agnostic AI seamlessly integrates into any vehicle, enabling auto makers to deploy advanced driver assistance and automation features at scale.
Wayve says its next-generation AV2.0 technology learns from data, adapting to new unseen driving environments without reliance on high-definition maps or complex sensors. By training its end-to-end AI on vast and diverse driving data, Wayve is aiming to redefine the safety, efficiency and scalability of automated driving.