Amazon-backed autonomous vehicle company Zoox plans to ramp up production next year as it accelerates preparations for a commercial launch of its robotaxi service in the United States, according to a report by the Financial Times on Wednesday.
Jesse Levinson, Zoox’s co-founder, revealed that the company will establish a new manufacturing site in California’s Bay Area. This facility will allow Zoox to significantly increase its operational capacity beyond the limited production currently taking place at its Fremont location.
From testing to scale: Las Vegas and San Francisco up next
Zoox has so far deployed approximately two dozen custom-designed test vehicles in six major U.S. cities. However, with the new facility, the company plans to scale from dozens to potentially “hundreds and then thousands” of these robotaxis. The first public rides are scheduled to launch in Las Vegas later this year, followed by a rollout in San Francisco.
This marks a critical transition for Zoox from the research and testing phase into full commercial operations, positioning it to compete in the emerging autonomous ride-hailing market.
A crowded race toward autonomy
Zoox is entering a competitive field alongside other key players like Tesla, Alphabet-owned Waymo, and General Motors’ Cruise, all of which are racing to dominate the future of self-driving transportation. Despite the excitement, the industry continues to face scrutiny from regulators due to ongoing safety concerns.
The U.S. Department of Transportation, under the Trump administration, recently announced plans to fast-track the deployment of autonomous vehicles. These regulatory changes include easing certain federal safety standards and reducing mandatory incident reporting for AV operators — a move intended to support innovation and commercial readiness.
Still, federal safety regulators have launched investigations into incidents involving autonomous vehicles operated by Waymo, Cruise, and Zoox. These probes highlight persistent challenges with safety validation as the industry moves closer to mainstream adoption.
Awaiting official responses
Neither Amazon nor Zoox responded immediately to Reuters’ inquiries for comment made outside standard business hours. However, with infrastructure expansion underway and commercial plans firming up, Zoox appears poised to make a strong push into the U.S. mobility market in the months ahead.
