Alphabet-backed Waymo is accelerating its national robotaxi rollout, announcing plans to expand beyond its current hubs in Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Austin to Atlanta, Miami, and Washington, D.C. by 2026.
The move comes as the company already completes more than 250,000 paid autonomous rides each week, signaling rising consumer acceptance of self-driving ride-hailing services.
New Factory Will Mass-Produce Autonomous Jaguars
To support this rapid expansion, Waymo is partnering with Magna International (MGA) to build a 239,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Metro Phoenix.
The state-of-the-art factory will produce thousands of Jaguar I-PACE vehicles outfitted with Waymo’s autonomous technology.
The facility will feature automated assembly lines designed for speed and efficiency, enabling vehicles to be inspected and deployed into service within hours.
At full capacity, the plant is expected to deliver tens of thousands of robotaxis annually, drastically cutting both time and costs associated with fleet scaling.
Waymo Eyes Strategic Partnerships to Boost Reach
Beyond manufacturing, Waymo is forming key partnerships to scale its services. It has teamed up with Moove for fleet operations management and is collaborating with Toyota (TM) to bring its autonomous driving stack to a broader range of vehicle models.
Industry observers say Waymo’s growth poses a serious threat to traditional ride-hailing platforms like Uber (UBER) and Lyft (LYFT).
‘However, analysts also suggest that Waymo is more likely to collaborate with major rideshare platforms to gain faster access to their massive user bases—rather than compete directly in all markets.
Competitive Pressure on Tesla’s Robotaxi Vision
Waymo’s momentum also puts pressure on Tesla (TSLA), which has long promised to debut its own robotaxi fleet.
With Waymo now building out a nationwide autonomous vehicle infrastructure and forming global OEM partnerships, Tesla may face tougher competition than anticipated if its robotaxi product isn’t delivered on schedule.
Analyst Sentiment on Alphabet (GOOGL) Remains Strong
Wall Street remains bullish on Alphabet stock. GOOGL carries a “Strong Buy” consensus based on 30 Buy ratings and 10 Holds over the past three months, according to TipRanks.
The average price target is $199.68, reflecting a potential 20.9% upside from current levels.
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