Stellantis NV (STLA) stock edged higher in Friday's early premarket session, defying signals pointing to a broader market sell-off, after the automaker struck a joint venture (JV) partnership with U.S.-listed Chinese robotaxi company Pony AI (PONY) to develop Level 4 autonomous vehicles for the European market.

In a press statement, the companies said the collaboration, through Pony's European division headquartered in Luxembourg, will integrate Pony's autonomous driving technology with Stellantis' autonomous driving-ready platform. Through these partnerships, the companies plan to focus on light-commercial vehicles (LCVs) initially. Stellantis holds a prominent position in this segment in Europe through its Stellantis Pro One business unit.

The companies said they plan to deploy test vehicles based on the Peugeot e-Traveller model in Luxembourg in the coming months, with a broader rollout across European cities starting in 2026. They also suggested that the collaboration will likely extend beyond LCVs, potentially leading to the expansion of autonomous mobility services for both goods and passengers.

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment toward Stellantis stock remained 'extremely bullish' as of early Friday, and the message volume on the stream was at 'high' levels.

On the other hand, Pony AI stock elicited 'bearish' sentiment from among retailers on the platform, with the message volume at 'extremely low' levels.

For the year-to-date period, Stellantis stock has lost over 16%, while Pony AI has gained over 42% during the same time period.

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