Stack layers
Contested layers: 4 Models and intelligence; 5 Domain platforms; 6 Workflow, agents and orchestration
Contest dimensions
- Vehicle architecture
- Driving capability
- Customer access
Participants
Established automakers
- Toyota (Incumbent): manufacturing, quality and its own Arene software platform
- Volkswagen (Incumbent): vehicles on an architecture co-developed with XPENG
- Hyundai (Incumbent): vehicle partner for planned Waymo integration
Autonomous driving
- Waymo (Challenger): an Alphabet company; 400,000+ paid rides a week and a $126 billion valuation, Feb 2026
Software-led automakers
- Tesla (Challenger): software-first vehicles and a robotaxi service in Austin
- XPENG (Challenger): electronic architecture co-developed with Volkswagen
Ecosystem Moves
How the players are building, buying and partnering to compete in this battleground. Newest first.
0 Build · 0 Buy · 3 Partner · 0 Compete
- Volkswagen / XPENG
co-developed electronic architecture; production began
- Toyota / Waymo
Exploring: preliminary agreement to explore autonomous-driving collaboration
- Hyundai / Waymo
multi-year partnership; Waymo's driver planned for Hyundai vehicles
Sources
No sources are listed for this record yet.
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