Amazon-owned Zoox plans to expand autonomous vehicle testing into Europe and Asia, deploying data-collection vehicles overseas as a first step toward launching its robotaxis in international markets1.
Zoox CEO Aicha Evans, speaking at the WSJ Tech Live event on Wednesday, identified London, other European Union cities, South Korea, and Japan as potential expansion markets. The company has not provided a timeline for when overseas testing will begin or when its purpose-built robotaxis could enter those markets.
Zoox's international push will not start with its distinctive purpose-built robotaxis. The company initially uses modified Toyota Highlander SUVs equipped with sensors to collect information about local roads and traffic conditions. According to Zoox's official testing documentation, the process begins with manually mapping roads, traffic lights, and other features before autonomous driving tests start. During those tests, a safety driver remains behind the wheel and can take control when necessary, with every intervention recorded and shared with software development teams.
Only after that testing phase is completed can Zoox introduce its purpose-built robotaxis. The company does not plan to offer public rides in its modified SUVs.
Zoox currently operates approximately 150 robotaxis across several U.S. cities, including San Francisco and Las Vegas, according to Evans.
ANALYSIS The lack of any disclosed timeline tempers the announcement's near-term significance; the multi-stage testing process Zoox follows domestically — manual mapping, supervised driving, then purpose-built vehicle deployment — means commercial robotaxi service in any overseas market is likely years away from the data-collection phase Evans described.