Uber Technologies Inc. (NYSE:UBER) CEO Dara Khosrowshahi hailed the expansion of the ride-hailing giant’s Robotaxi exploits in Japan as the global autonomous driving race heats up.

Japan Is a Terrific Market For Uber, Dara Khosrowshahi Says

Quoting a post from the official Uber handle on the social media platform X on Thursday, Khosrowshahi hailed the Robotaxi expansion into Japan. “Japan has been a terrific market for us,” he said, “first in Delivery and now increasingly Mobility,” he added. Khosrowshahi then said that he was “excited” for Uber’s next step into expanding autonomous driving globally.

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Uber signed an operational partnership with Japan’s Hinomaru Kotsu Co. Ltd. to oversee fleet operations in Tokyo as the service eyes a late 2026 launch. The partnership will see Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.‘s (OTC:NSANY) Leaf EVs equipped with Wayve’s AI Driver technology. Initially, the Robotaxis will have an onboard safety driver.

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According to a Nikkei Asia report from December last year, Uber had planned to invest over $2 billion in the Japanese market over five years.

Uber’s Robotaxi Push

Investor Gary Black of The Future Fund LLC earlier said that the company was the best bet to bring Robotaxi to the masses, ahead of the likes of Alphabet Inc.‘s (NASDAQ:GOOGL) (NASDAQ:GOOG) Waymo and Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA).

During Uber’s second-quarter earnings call recently, Khosrowshahi touted the company’s 15-minute drone delivery as a "magical experience.” He also said that Uber was on track to begin autonomous ride-hailing operations in 15 cities by the end of the year.

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The comments come as Uber and Waymo’s partnership faces growing tensions, with Waymo reportedly considering an exit. Waymo has notified Uber that it plans to launch its own service in Austin and Atlanta in January 2028, ending Uber’s exclusivity in those markets, while Uber says it will continue offering Waymo rides through at least May 2028.

The companies had blamed each other over safety concerns and service problems, with some Uber executives having publicly raised doubts about the reliability of autonomous vehicles, touting a hybrid approach to ride-hailing instead, with human drivers and Robotaxis.

Price Action: UBER surged 0.16% to $76.00 during overnight trading on Thursday.

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