Momenta Global plans to expand its robotaxi fleet from hundreds of vehicles at the end of this year to several thousand by the end of next year. That target puts corporate growth at the center of its pitch for driverless transport. Shuo Xie, head of the robotaxi business, told Reuters the company plans to deploy vehicles in Dubai next year and is discussing expansion with a “few” European cities.
Those figures describe a company’s growth target, not public control over the technology. The article reports Momenta’s plans, business partners and investment, but offers no account of how people in the cities targeted for deployment will shape decisions about robotaxis. Fleet size is the stated yardstick.
Fleet Size as the Sales Pitch
Momenta has deployed more than 100 vehicles in three countries. It’s testing robotaxis in five Chinese cities, as well as Munich and Abu Dhabi. Japan is also a priority, Xie said. In an online interview, she described the company’s projected fleet as “in the ... hundreds at the end of this year and then it will be several thousand at the end of next year.”
The company has two main businesses. It sells advanced driver-assistance software to automakers, while its robotaxi operations remain at an early stage. That distinction matters in Momenta’s own account: the expansion plan is a target for a business still developing, not proof that several thousand vehicles already operate as a fleet.
A former Microsoft researcher founded Momenta, which Mercedes-Benz backs. Toyota and BYD are among its partners. Those corporate names sit behind a project whose public promise Xie frames in deployment numbers and new markets. The article gives no details about city rules, public consultation or the terms under which vehicles would operate, leaving those questions unanswered as Momenta announces expansion.
Investment, Chips and Unanswered Questions
Momenta raised around $751 million in an initial public offering in Hong Kong in July. Its shares have fallen some 45% from the IPO price, hit in part by caution about the outlook for Hong Kong-listed AI shares. The company remains unprofitable as it spends heavily on research and development. So the planned expansion arrives alongside investor caution and continuing losses—not a report of established profitability.
Momenta is also working with chip company XHeart to produce chips designed specifically for its autonomous-driving software. Xie said the cost should be “significantly lower” than equivalent computing power from Nvidia. XHeart is working on a next-generation chip, the X9. “In a couple of years the robotaxis that I am going to deploy around the world, hopefully a lot of them will be hosted on that X9 chip,” Xie said.
Momenta competes with Alphabet’s Waymo and China’s Pony.ai, among others. The contest described here involves companies seeking investment, partners, markets and lower computing costs. There’s no example in the report of grassroots organizing or mutual aid connected to the expansion, and no account of workers or residents taking part in its planning. What it records instead is a corporate race measured in vehicles, cities and chips—and a future fleet that remains a company target.