Abu Dhabi To Get Luxury Self-Driving Robotaxi Fleet In 2026

Come 2026, a fleet of luxury self-driving robotaxis will be launched in Abu Dhabi by Lumo, the UAE's national company specializing in smart mobility. The launch will happen in partnership with Mercedes-Benz and Momenta, a company specializing in artificial intelligence technologies for autonomous driving.

Powered by Momenta's L4 autonomous driving system and built on the all-new Mercedes-Benz S-Class, this collaboration introduces the industry's first scalable premium robotaxi model based on a mass-production luxury platform.

Commercial operations are planned to begin in Abu Dhabi next year, with future deployment into additional international markets.

Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.

This is the latest development in the UAE's journey to futuristic travel, with a bunch of autonomous transport projects already in motion in the country, especially in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Last month, Abu Dhabi became the first city in the MENA region to begin commercial operation of fully autonomous vehicles. The Integrated Transport Centre announced the launch of commercial operations for fully driverless vehicles after two weeks of private trials.

The first two operating permits were issued to WeRide and AutoGo-K2 for Level 4 autonomous vehicles. The UAE capital is the first city outside the US to host fully driverless taxis operated by Uber Technologies and WeRide.

For now, the services (with safety drivers) are available on Uber in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi Airport and Al Maryah Island, with Uber's system automatically assigning an AV when both pick-up and drop-off fall inside WeRide's designated zones.

Some of the smart-mobility options already in use in Abu Dhabi, and those under development, include:

• Electric/hybrid robotaxis (brand name TXAI) operating in Yas Island, Saadiyat Island, and on access roads to Zayed International Airport.

• Autonomous Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) electric pods that transport passengers within in Masdar City

• Smart and Autonomous Vehicle Industries (SAVI) cluster, a dedicated zone in Masdar City to accelerate development and adoption of autonomous land, air and sea transport

Self-driving taxis will be seen on the roads of Dubai as well next year. The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has expanded its partnerships with autonomous driving technology providers to deploy these taxis in the emirate by 2026.

Three Chinese companies - Baidu's Apollo Go, WeRide, and Pony - have been granted permits by Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) to conduct autonomous driving trials on designated roads, enabling them to deploy their vehicles for on-road testing across urban Dubai.

Dubai has goal of making 25 per cent of all transportation trips in smart and driverless by 2030.

[With inputs from WAM]

MENAFN09122025000049011007ID1110459926