Mobileye’s US robotaxi launch will put it on both sides of the AV business
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- Mobileye plans to launch a robotaxi service in an unnamed U.S. city in 2027 with an initial fleet of 100 autonomous vehicles, phasing in throughout the year
- Mobileye said it aims to scale the fleet to approximately 17,000 robotaxis over the five years following launch if the initial deployment succeeds
- Mobileye will create a new operating business to manage the fleet, using its own self-driving system and leveraging Moovit — the transit and ride-hailing app it already owns — as the consumer-facing layer
- Mobileye already supplies its self-driving system to Volkswagen and its MOIA subsidiary, meaning the new service puts it in direct competition with companies it sells to
- Mobileye's press release for the partnership shows a photo illustration of what appears to be a modified Ora iQ electric crossover from Chinese automaker Great Wall Motors, though the company did not name the vehicle platform
- Shashua, Mobileye's founder and CEO, framed the move as additive: 'This initiative is not a replacement for our existing partnerships; it is an extension of them'
Why it matters: Mobileye's pivot from pure AV supplier to fleet operator creates a direct competitive conflict with its own customers — companies like Volkswagen and MOIA that license Mobileye Drive to run their own mobility services. The 17,000-vehicle scale target, if met over five years, would make Mobileye a meaningful player in the U.S. robotaxi market, not just a behind-the-scenes technology vendor.
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