VW's Robotaxi Unit MOIA Is Coming to LA With Uber

Volkswagen is making its robotaxi play. The German automaker's autonomous unit MOIA has been quietly building a fleet of 100 test vehicles spread across Germany, Norway, and the United States.

Now it's go time. MOIA plans to roll out driverless taxis in Los Angeles this year through a partnership with Uber. After the LA debut, the company is eyeing expansion into Germany's Hamburg region the following year.

It's a crowded field. Waymo already dominates LA's robotaxi scene, and Tesla has been making noise about its own autonomous ride-hailing ambitions. But VW is betting that its deep manufacturing expertise and Uber's massive rider network give MOIA a real shot at competing.

The stakes are enormous. Whoever cracks robotaxis at scale essentially owns the future of urban transportation. VW clearly doesn't want to watch from the sidelines.