Amazon's Zoox Robotaxi Ramping Up Manufacturing in East Bay

Amazon-owned autonomous vehicle startup Zoox aims to turn a 219,000-square-foot plant in Hayward into a manufacturing juggernaut.

The Foster City-based automaker is increasing production of its robotaxis at the two-story industrial building at 25810 Clawiter Road, the San Francisco Business Times reported.

The factory is located at the Exchange @ 92, a 635,000-square-foot industrial campus developed by Houston-based Hines across the bridge from Zoox’s growing hub in Foster City.

Zoox leased the 219,000-square-foot space at the Exchange @ 92 two years ago as it planned to set up shop for manufacturing on a larger scale. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The company also filed plans with the city of Hayward last year for tenant improvements at the property, including installing “automotive assembly line equipment,” according to the Business Times.

Zoox hasn’t confirmed the exact cost of improvements, though it’s expected to sink $12 million into the project, according to CoStar.

In April, Zoox subleased 200,000 square feet near its Foster City headquarters, marking one of the largest commercial real estate deals in the region in 2025.

The Exchange @ 92, built in 2023, includes three state-of-the-art industrial buildings for tenants. It’s not the only Hines property in the Hayward area; the company also owns nearby Pleasanton Corporate Commons and Dublin Corporate Center.

Right now, there are only “a couple dozen” Zoox vehicles on the road, co-founder and CEO Jesse Levinson told the Financial Times. That number is set to grow by the end of the year.

“Next year is when we start what we call serial production, which is where you have the production tooling, and you start getting in hundreds and then thousands, and eventually tens of thousands of them,” he said, adding that they “will cost significantly less” to build because of the production scale.

Zoox vehicles are being tested on roads in San Francisco, Foster City, Las Vegas, Seattle, Austin, Miami and Los Angeles. Unlike Waymo cars, which resemble typical sedans, Zoox vehicles have no steering wheels and feature four inward-facing seats.

The company plans to start public rides in Las Vegas later this year, with San Francisco to follow.

— Chris Malone Méndez