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Lucid, Nuro and Uber Unveil Robotaxi Ahead of Planned 2026 Launch

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Lucid Group, Nuro and Uber on Monday unveiled a production-intent robotaxi at the Consumer Electronics Show, marking a major step toward commercial deployment later this year.

The trio said on-road testing began in December, led by Nuro using safety-supervised engineering prototypes. A commercial launch is planned for the San Francisco Bay Area, with production expected to start later this year at Lucid’s Arizona factory, pending final validation.

The robotaxi is based on Lucid’s Gravity electric SUV and features a roof-mounted sensor “halo” combining cameras, lidar and radar for 360-degree perception. The vehicle runs Nuro’s Level 4 autonomous driving system and uses Nvidia’s DRIVE AGX Thor computing platform.

For Uber, the project reinforces its strategy of partnering with autonomous tech developers rather than owning self-driving systems. For Lucid, it represents a push to diversify beyond consumer EVs amid slowing demand and rising competition.

The unveiling places the partnership alongside other U.S. robotaxi efforts from Waymo and Tesla as the race to commercialize autonomous ride-hailing accelerates.

Uber Bets on Loyalty Program to Drive Growth, Unveils $20 Billion Buyback Plan

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Uber (UBER.N) announced a $20 billion stock buyback program and raised its third-quarter gross bookings forecast above Wall Street expectations on Wednesday, fueled by strong adoption of its paid loyalty program, Uber One.

The $9.99-per-month Uber One membership surged 60% year-on-year in June to over 36 million members, who now account for more than one-third of Uber’s bookings. These loyal users are especially valuable as they engage with both ride-hailing and delivery services, generating over three times the profit compared to single-service users.

To boost Uber One sign-ups, the company hosted a week-long promotional event in May offering discounts across rides, food delivery, and groceries, adding half a million new members during that period. Uber’s stock has soared 48% so far this year, though it dipped about 1% in early trading following the announcement.

Uber expects third-quarter gross bookings—the total dollar value of transactions—to range between $48.25 billion and $49.75 billion, beating analyst estimates of $47.3 billion. This follows an 18.2% year-on-year increase in second-quarter gross bookings, driven by 24.6% growth in delivery and 18.8% in mobility services.

The company also reported a rise in net income to 63 cents per share in Q2 from 47 cents a year earlier, matching expectations. Adjusted core profit for the current quarter is forecast between $2.19 billion and $2.29 billion, above analyst consensus.

Uber is leveraging subscription products like the $2.99 monthly “Price Lock Pass,” which offers fixed pricing on select routes, to encourage habitual weekday commuting, now available in over 10 U.S. and Brazilian cities.

Looking ahead, Uber is expanding in autonomous vehicle technology through over 20 partnerships, including recent deals with EV maker Lucid and startup Nuro, despite not owning its own robotaxi technology.

This latest buyback authorization supplements a previously approved $7 billion program from early 2024.