Maserati impressed attendees at CES by displaying its autonomous driving capabilities, showcasing two versions of the MC20 supercar equipped with cutting-edge AI technology.
The MC20 Coupé, which had previously made history in November with a record-breaking autonomous run, served as the safety car for the 2025 CES Autonomous Challenge at the Las Vegas Speedway. Alongside it, Maserati introduced the MC20 Cielo, a convertible version featuring the same AI-driven tech as the Coupé.
Both cars are part of the Artificial Intelligence Driving Autonomous (AIDA) project, developed in collaboration with researchers at Politecnico di Milano. The team had previously made headlines when their MC20 became the first autonomous car to participate in Italy’s Mille Miglia race.
The Coupé’s record-setting performance in November saw it achieve a speed of 177 mph in heavy fog at Piacenza-San Damiano Air Base, marking “the fastest speed ever achieved by an AI-driven production car without human intervention,” according to Maserati.
The AIDA program is built on four modules: perception, geo-localization, planning, and control. These modules work together to ensure the car can perceive its environment, place itself on a map, and make decisions independently.
The perception module uses machine learning to interpret data from cameras, Lidar, and radar sensors, while geo-localization tech places the car accurately within a defined map using GNSS sensors. “The faster you go, the more efficient the algorithm needs to be and it must never make mistakes,” explained Sergio Matteo Savaresi, leader of the project and director of the department of electronics, computer science, and bioengineering at Politecnico di Milano. “Therefore, it is important to test its performance under extreme conditions such as at high speeds.”
Savaresi emphasized that the MC20’s record-breaking run was intended to “test the robustness of our algorithms at high speeds.” While the MC20 did not attempt to surpass its previous record at CES, Savaresi described the achievement as “a great achievement” and a significant milestone for autonomous vehicle technology.
