(Reuters) -Amazon's self-driving start-up Zoox will increase production next year as it ramps up plans for a commercial rollout of its robotaxi fleet in the U.S., the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.
The company will open a new site in California's Bay Area to expand its footprint beyond a small production facility in Fremont, Zoox co-founder Jesse Levinson told the newspaper.
Zoox will use the facility to increase its fleet, having deployed about two dozen bespoke test vehicles across six U.S. cities so far, Levinson told FT.
The firm plans to launch public rides in Las Vegas this year, followed by San Francisco, FT said, adding that the new site will enable Zook to get "ready to make hundreds and then thousands" of its custom-built robotaxis.
Zoox and Amazon did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment outside regular business hours.
U.S President Donald Trump's administration said last month it aims to speed up deployment of self-driving vehicles by exempting some from certain safety requirements and easing rules requiring reporting of safety incidents.
Car manufacturers including Tesla and Google-owned Waymo develop autonomous vehicles for the robotaxi market. U.S. auto regulators have previously opened investigations into self-driving vehicles operated by GM's Cruise, Waymo, and Zoox.
(Reporting by Nilutpal Timsina in Bengaluru; Editing by Sonia Cheema)
