Weeks after unveiling a new testing hub in Germany, autonomous vehicle startup Wayve has pressed ahead with its international expansion, largely insulated from punishing US tariffs that threaten to turn the wider industry on its head.
With $1bn in its back pocket after raising a bumper Series C last year, the London-based startup in March announced plans for a new on-road testing and development site in Stuttgart — better known as the “cradle of the automobile” where companies like Mercedes Benz and Porsche have their headquarters — in southwest Germany.
Since then, US president Donald Trump has imposed a raft of tariffs on the country’s international trading partners, including a 145% import tax on Chinese goods. Leading self-driving vehicle makers like Tesla and Waymo manufacture cars and source components in China, putting them under pressure to rework their supply chains.
Unlike those industry leaders, Wayve doesn’t sell its own self-driving cars. Instead, it supplies automakers with software which can turn ready-made cars into autonomous vehicles, handing them a significant advantage over competitors expending capital trying to avoid tariffs.
At a time where the automotive industry in Germany is “facing a lot of changes,” Fischer says it’s been an opportune time to have discussions about partnerships with German automotive manufacturers that are looking to develop new solutions for autonomous driving.
“We see the global market moving so rapidly, whether that be players in the US or in China who are looking to come West,” says Fischer, striking an optimistic note. “We provide a performant, safe technology that isn’t prone to the same geopolitical risk.”
Talent grab
Next month, the annual “ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) and Autonomous Vehicle Tech Expo” will be held in Stuttgart, with thousands of experts and industry leaders from the likes of the European Commission, BMW, Bosch and Chinese automaker Zeekr (which builds Waymo’s robotaxis) in attendance.
As well as having a stand at the expo, Wayve has been nominated for the event’s “Disruptor of the Year” award, competing against DeepSeek, the Chinese AI startup that caused a market rout with its low-cost chatbot earlier this year, and Dutch semiconductor manufacturer NXP.
Were Wayve to pick up the gong, surrounded by industry peers, Wayve’s status as Europe’s hottest new challenger would be reinforced among clients — and prospective employees.
Wayve has over 400 employees across California, the UK and now Germany. At present, it has 20 people on the ground at the new Stuttgart testing site, with plans to double its headcount by the end of the year across all business functions.
Those new recruits could come from Stuttgart’s host of automotive companies, local manufacturing incumbents like Bosch and Siemens, or fellow self-driving company Tesla, which has seen its popularity plummet in Germany, in part due to CEO Elon Musk’s endorsement of the far-right Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) party.
“Germany has a really deep talent pool, probably the best that we’ve seen in Europe,” says Fischer. “Being able to tap into that is incredibly important to make sure that we can create AI technology that can support a really mature industry like the automotive market.”
Read the orginal article: https://sifted.eu/articles/wayve-self-driving-tariffs/
