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Zoox autonomous car leaks online ahead of worldwide launch

California-based autonomous tech developer Zoox is preparing to unveil its first driverless car next week, however it appears the cat is already out of the bag.


The all-electric vehicle – which Drive understands will use LiDAR technology to navigate obstacles and be capable of bi-directional travel thanks to its symmetrical design – was snapped outside the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco over the weekend.

Reports from Twitter suggest advertising and promotional content for the launch was being filmed at the time.

Little else is known about the robotaxi, however the images suggest it will have bus-like sliding doors on each side and room for at least four centre-facing seats.

 

Drive

Amazon bought the company – which was founded in 2014 by Australian designer and animator Tim Kentley-Klay – earlier this year for an estimated US$1.2 billion (AU$1.61 billion).

Kentley-Klay personally engineered the prototype, however it is unclear how much this production model deviates from the original design.

Zoox is one of a small handful of organisations with approval to test autonomous vehicles on public roads in California without a default driver.

Drive
William Davis

William Davis has written for Drive since July 2020, covering news and current affairs in the automotive industry. He has maintained a primary focus on industry trends, autonomous technology, electric vehicle regulations, and local environmental policy. As the newest addition to the Drive team, William was brought onboard for his attention to detail, writing skills, and strong work ethic. Despite writing for a diverse range of outlets – including the Australian Financial Review, Robb Report, and Property Observer – since completing his media degree at Macquarie University, William has always had a passion for cars.

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