Volkswagen’s commercial vehicle arm Traton and PlusAI plan to expand their partnership to speed factory integration and deployment of autonomous trucks across the US and Europe.
Under the proposed expansion, Traton would provide up to $25m in non-dilutive research and development funding aimed at integrating autonomous driving software developer’s SuperDrive system directly into factory production lines.
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The work would span vehicles built by Scania, MAN and International.
Alongside PlusAI’s planned public listing, Traton intends to put forward a candidate for the company’s initial board of directors, subject to the regulatory and corporate approvals.
Both sides said that a final contract is still being discussed and that the terms currently sit within a non-binding framework.
Traton research & development executive board member Niklas Klingenberg said: “Autonomous trucking is a strategic pillar of Traton’s long-term technology roadmap. From day one of our collaboration, PlusAI’s technical capabilities and commercial execution have exceeded our expectations, giving us even greater confidence that we have chosen the right partner.”
The latest plans extend a relationship first announced in 2024, when SuperDrive was chosen as Traton’s platform for highway autonomy.
Since that decision, the companies have reported advances towards Level 4 autonomous operations, including fleet trials in Texas run by International with a large North American logistics group.
Traton said the next stage would also involve adapting its manufacturing systems for scaled output of SuperDrive-equipped vehicles and collaborative route planning along priority freight corridors in the US.
It will also include preparatory work for entry into selected European markets.
As part of the proposed structure, Traton could receive private warrants tied to early deployment revenue targets generated by PlusAI from commercial activity involving Traton-branded trucks.
The funding is expected to support closer technical integration, development of safety cases and commercialisation programmes in both regions, with scope for further investment if later milestones are reached.
PlusAI CEO and co-founder David Liu added: “Together with Traton, we’ve moved autonomy from the lab to factory integration and now to real-world operations. The expanded partnership allows us to build on this momentum and accelerate towards scaled commercial deployment.”
