Perseus Motor Corporation, a start-up positioning itself as Europe’s first “AI-native” electric vehicle brand, has agreed a strategic partnership with UK-based SODA.Auto to co-develop what it claims will be the world’s most advanced human–machine interface for cars.
The alliance will see the two companies establish joint research centres in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi, and Bicester, Oxfordshire.
The facilities will bring together software engineers, AI specialists, and testing environments in a bid to accelerate development of vehicles that rely on artificial intelligence to personalise the driving experience.
Perseus Founder and Chief Executive, Mohammed Yehya El Bakkali, said the company was created out of frustration with the “passive and isolated” nature of today’s cars. “I envisioned a vehicle that thinks, adapts, and evolves around its driver,” he said, adding that the tie-up with SODA.Auto was central to realising that ambition.
Unlike traditional automakers, Perseus aims to make AI the defining feature of its cars, with systems that learn from drivers’ behaviour and adjust to their routines and emotional states. The company argues this approach will both improve safety and reduce drivers’ cognitive load, making each vehicle “as unique as its owner”.
SODA.Auto, which specialises in software-defined vehicles, described the partnership as an opportunity to set a “global benchmark” for intelligent mobility. Its Chief Executive, Sergey Malygin, said the collaboration would produce a “step change” in how people interact with vehicles.
The move comes as the wider industry concentrates investment on electrification and autonomy. Perseus, which has yet to launch its first production model, is betting that AI-powered driver interaction will become the next source of competitive advantage in the automotive sector.
