Amazon is ramping up its ambitions in the autonomous vehicle sector, unveiling plans to manufacture up to 10,000 robotaxis per year by 2027 at its newly opened 220,000-square-foot Zoox factory in Hayward, California, just outside Silicon Valley.
The announcement, made on Wednesday, 18 June, underscores Amazon’s growing commitment to the robotaxi market and positions its Zoox division as a serious contender to long-standing leaders like Waymo and Tesla. The new facility represents a major investment in self-driving technology and marks a crucial step forward in Amazon’s long-term mobility strategy.
Zoox, which Amazon acquired in 2020 for $1.2 billion, is gearing up to launch its commercial ride-hailing service in Las Vegas later in 2025, followed by a rollout in San Francisco. Unlike rivals who retrofit traditional vehicles with autonomous systems, Zoox has developed a unique carriage-style vehicle from the ground up. These compact electric cabs seat four passengers face-to-face and operate without a steering wheel or pedals.
Currently, Zoox produces just one robotaxi per day at the new Hayward plant. However, the company aims to scale significantly — targeting three vehicles per hour to meet its 2027 goal of 10,000 units per year. The vehicles will be deployed in a growing number of major US cities, including Los Angeles, Miami, and Atlanta.
The move puts Zoox in direct competition with Waymo, a subsidiary of Google’s parent company Alphabet, which has already delivered over 10 million paid rides. Waymo began testing in Phoenix in 2018 and now operates services in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Austin, with testing soon to begin in New York City.
Meanwhile, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has teased a “tentative” robotaxi launch in Austin, Texas on 22 June, using modified Model Y vehicles. Musk has long promised a self-driving future for Tesla, though delays and regulatory hurdles have slowed deployment.
As competition intensifies, Amazon’s bet on in-house manufacturing and bespoke vehicle design could offer a competitive edge. The company believes the new plant — roughly the size of three and a half football fields — will enable it to produce robotaxis at scale and cement Zoox’s place in the future of urban mobility.
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