Elon Musk says he wants to bring Tesla's robotaxis to Saudi Arabia, where Uber is also racing to launch its robotaxi service

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said helium wants to bring robotaxis to Saudi Arabia, wherever Uber is already laying the groundwork to motorboat autonomous vehicles aboriginal this year.

At the US-Saudi Investment Forum connected Tuesday, Musk made a large propulsion for robotics successful Saudi Arabia, including self-driving cars.

"Really you tin deliberation of aboriginal cars arsenic being robots connected 4 wheels, and I deliberation it would beryllium precise breathtaking to person autonomous vehicles present successful the Kingdom if you're amenable," Musk said to Abdullah Alswaha, Saudi's Minister of Communications and Information Technology.

Musk didn't supply immoderate details oregon timeline for erstwhile that could happen.

Tesla has yet to motorboat its robotaxi service to the nationalist anyplace successful the world. The institution has said it plans to motorboat a aviator of the work successful Austin successful June. Musk said the ramp-up for enlargement afterward should beryllium quick.

A Tesla spokesperson did not respond to a petition for comment.

Saudi Arabian leaders person said they privation autonomous vehicles to play a relation successful the country's broader Vision 2030 modernization plans, which purpose to trim the region's economical dependence connected lipid by making dense investments successful technology. The state past twelvemonth released a regulatory model astir the adoption of self-driving cars.

Uber announced connected May 6 that it plans to deploy robotaxis successful the Kingdom sometime this twelvemonth done its concern with China's Pony.AI. The institution hasn't specified a date.

Pony.AI's robotaxi ambitions successful the US came to a screeching halt successful 2022 aft the Department of Motor Vehicles revoked its California permit, citing aggregate driving violations. The startup continues to connection autonomous rides to the nationalist successful China.

A spokesperson for Pony.AI did not respond to a petition for comment.

Saudi Arabia's Transport General Authority said Tuesday successful a station connected X that the bureau had signed a memorandum of knowing with Uber to motorboat autonomous vehicles successful the Kingdom. An MOU is not binding and simply signals an intent to collaborate.

"First autonomous vehicles expected to motorboat connected the Uber level with onboard information operators successful 2025," the Transport General Authority wrote.

Uber is already a sizable subordinate successful the Kingdom's rideshare market.

The institution owns Careem, which is the go-to ride-hailing app successful the Middle East, operating successful 26 cities passim the Kingdom. Uber besides separately operates its ridesharing work successful the region.

A spokesperson for Uber declined to comment. A spokesperson for Careem did not respond to a petition for comment.

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