Mobileye's US robotaxi expansion
Intel's Mobileye plans major U.S. robotaxi fleet launch with 100 vehicles by 2027
Key Points
Mobileye did not name which U.S. city it will start in; multiple reports note the specific destination remained undisclosed even as the company confirmed a “major metropolitan” launch.
The company’s announcement materials reportedly included a photo of a vehicle that appears to be a Chinese-made Great Wall Motor Ora iQ electric crossover, though Mobileye did not specify the exact vehicle models that will be deployed.
Mobileye said the initial ~100-vehicle deployment would be phased throughout 2027 and was intended to validate its operational model under “fully driverless” conditions.
CEO Amnon Shashua described the move as combining Mobileye’s autonomy tech with “operational ownership” to create a robotaxi business that is “financially and geographically scalable,” designed “from the ground up for global deployment.”
In recalling Mobileye’s longer-term goal of passenger-car autonomy, reports cite Shashua’s 2020 TechCrunch position that “you can’t attain that Holy Grail without first navigating through the robotaxi business.”
Mobileye is building its own robotaxi fleet in the United States — a sharp turn for a company that has spent years selling self-driving technology to others. The Intel subsidiary plans to deploy about 100 driverless vehicles in a major U.S. city in 2027, then scale to roughly 17,000 cars by 2032, according to Reuters.
CEO Amnon Shashua said the company will run the service itself, not just supply the tech. "By operating our own service, we can expedite adoption, acquire firsthand operational insights, and demonstrate the full capabilities of autonomous mobility," he said. MBLY shares jumped as much as 7.7% on the news, according to Seeking Alpha.
From Tech Supplier to Robotaxi Operator Overnight
Mobileye has long been what insiders call a neutral arms dealer — selling driver-assistance and autonomy systems to automakers rather than running its own vehicles. Its hardware and software now power over 230 million cars worldwide, InsideEVs reported. This announcement marks the first time the company will own and operate a fleet directly.
The new service will combine two Mobileye products: Mobileye Drive, its fully autonomous driving system, and Moovit, a trip-planning and fleet-management platform the company bought for $900 million in 2020. Moovit already serves 1.7 billion users across 3,500 cities, Quartz noted. Riders will book trips through a Moovit app.
100 Cars in 2027, Then a Race to 17,000
The launch fleet of roughly 100 vehicles will roll out in phases throughout 2027 in one unnamed "major metropolitan" U.S. market. Mobileye has not said which city. Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Austin — all of which already have AV-friendly rules — are seen as likely candidates by industry watchers.
If the first year validates the model, Mobileye aims to reach 17,000 autonomous vehicles on U.S. roads by 2032, according to Market Chameleon. The company also plans a U.S. Capital Markets Day before the end of 2026 to share details on its technical approach and finances. It also raised its 2026 revenue guidance to between $1.935 billion and $2.015 billion, Seeking Alpha reported.
Chinese-Made Vehicle Photo Raises Tariff Questions
Mobileye's announcement materials included a photo of what appears to be a Great Wall Motor Ora iQ electric crossover — a Chinese-made vehicle — according to InsideEVs and Carscoops. Mobileye did not name the car models it plans to use. The image raised immediate questions about whether the company might face U.S. tariff and data-security hurdles similar to those that have snagged other Chinese-linked AV companies.
Mobileye has not confirmed any vehicle partnership with Great Wall Motor. But if it does deploy Chinese-made cars, it would enter politically sensitive territory at a time when Washington is scrutinizing foreign-built vehicles in autonomous fleets.
Competing With Its Own Customers Creates a Tricky Balance
Mobileye's biggest challenge may not be technical. The company still sells its autonomy stack to partners like Volkswagen's MOIA unit. Now it is also competing with them for riders. The Next Web described it as trying to be both an "arms dealer" and a "soldier" in the same war — a tension that could push automakers toward building their own in-house systems instead.
Analysts at Jefferies and Berenberg flagged the capital cost of owning a 17,000-car fleet — maintenance, charging, and remote operations are not cheap. Still, Shashua has argued since at least 2020 that running robotaxis is a necessary step. "You can't attain that Holy Grail without first navigating through the robotaxi business," he told TechCrunch that year, referring to his long-term goal of full consumer-car autonomy.
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