Saudi-backed Lucid, Nuro and Uber debut their robotaxi ahead of late 2026 launch

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund-backed Lucid Group, Nuro and Uber unveiled a production-intent robotaxi that will be used in their global robotaxi service at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2026, which got underway in Las Vegas on Monday.

In a statement by the companies, they called it the “industry’s most luxurious robotaxi, offering riders an unprecedented in-cabin experience”.

The companies also announced that autonomous on-road testing began last month, an important milestone in the development and validation of the robotaxi service ahead of its expected launch in the San Francisco Bay Area later this year. Nuro led the testing using robotaxi engineering prototypes supervised by autonomous vehicle operators.

Lucid scales up future mobility tech

Production of the robotaxi is expected to begin later this year at Lucid’s Arizona factory, pending final validation. Lucid also has a production base in Saudi Arabia, but that will not be used at the moment.

The vehicle is based on Lucid’s Gravity electric SUV and features a roof-mounted sensor ‘halo’, a low-profile module designed to maximise visibility while preserving the vehicle’s signature design. It integrates cameras, lidar and radar to provide 360-degree perception.

Halo-mounted integrated LEDs help riders easily identify the correct vehicle (it displays rider initials), and provide clear status updates from pickup through dropoff.

Kay Stepper, Vice President of ADAS and Autonomous at Lucid, said: “Our robotaxi program with Uber and Nuro is a key part of how Lucid is leveraging its technology to create a more sustainable future of mobility that is widely accessible.

“Our engineering, range and interior comfort offers a unique platform, and when combined with Nuro’s technology and Uber’s scale, we are collectively building an experience like no other.”

In-cabin experience and rider controls

Uber designed the in-cabin experience, which includes interactive screens allowing riders to control climate, seating and entertainment, and contact support if needed.

In-vehicle visualisation shows what the robotaxi sees and its planned path in real-time, including maneuvers such as yielding to pedestrians, slowing at traffic lights, changing lanes, and dropping off a passenger.

Interior configurations are spacious and can comfortably fit up to six passengers with generous luggage space, making it ideal for group travel.

The robotaxi uses Nuro’s Level 4 autonomous system, capable of operating without human intervention under defined conditions, and runs on Nvidia’s DRIVE AGX Thor computing platform.

Dave Ferguson, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Nuro, commented: “The debut of our production intent robotaxi with Lucid and Uber is a significant milestone on our path to delivering autonomy at scale.

“By bringing together Nuro’s proven level 4 autonomy, Lucid’s advanced vehicle architecture, and Uber’s global reach, we’re building a robotaxi service designed for real-world operations and long-term growth.”

The unveiling at the CES technology conference in Las Vegas places the trio among a growing group of companies pursuing large-scale robotaxi deployment in the US, alongside Alphabet’s Waymo and Elon Musk’s Tesla among others.