Amazon Unleashes Zoox Robotaxis In Austin And Miami To Challenge Waymo Dominance

Amazon.com Inc’s (NASDAQ:AMZN) Zoox is preparing to expand its robotaxi service to select members of the public in Austin and Miami later this year, as it ramps up efforts to compete in the growing autonomous ride-hailing market. The company will initially limit rides to employees and their networks before opening access through a public waitlist. Zoox has already offered free driverless rides in Las Vegas and parts of San Francisco, serving about 350,000 riders, while expanding service areas and increasing its fleet, CNBC reported on Tuesday. Zoox is racing to catch up with Alphabet Inc’s (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Waymo, which already operates paid robotaxi services across multiple U.S. cities and delivers about 400,000 weekly rides, as Zoox works toward regulatory approval to launch and scale commercial operations. Recently, Zoox announced that it is expanding its growth strategy by partnering with Uber Technologies, Inc (NYSE:UBER) to bring its robotaxis onto a major ride-hailing platform, helping it reach more users and scale faster. The company plans to launch its purpose-built robotaxis on the Uber app in Las Vegas this summer, with a Los Angeles rollout targeted by mid-2027, while continuing to operate its own app. This move marks Zoox’s first third-party partnership and aims to broaden access to its autonomous vehicles and accelerate adoption in the ride-hailing market. Technical Analysis Amazon is trading 1.6% below its 20-day SMA and 8.3% below its 100-day SMA, keeping the stock pinned under key trend gauges as it tries to stabilize. Shares are up 2.39% over the past 12 months, and the stock is closer to its 52-week lows than its highs, trading in the $161.38 to $258.60 range. The RSI is at 46.20, in neutral territory, suggesting fading momentum (but not yet washed out). The MACD is at -2.1539, while the signal line is at -2.4394, a bullish configuration that hints downside pressure may be easing even as price remains below major moving averages. RSI in the 30–50 range with bullish MACD indicates momentum leaning bullish. Key Resistance: $220.50 Key Support: $202.50 Earnings & Analyst Outlook Looking further out, the next major catalyst for the stock arrives with the April 30, 2026 (estimated) earnings report. EPS Estimate: $1.66 (Up from $1.59 YoY) Revenue Estimate: $177.19 Billion (Up from $155.70 Billion YoY) Valuation: P/E of 29.3x (Indicates premium valuation relative to peers) Analyst Consensus & Recent Actions: The stock carries a Buy Rating with an average price target of $287.24. Recent analyst moves include: TD Cowen: Buy (Maintains Target to $300.00) (March 23) Needham: Buy (Maintains Target to $265.00) (March 17) Wells Fargo: Overweight (Lowers Target to $304.00) (February 23) Top ETF Exposure First Trust Dow Jones Internet Index Fund (NYSE:FDN): 9.89% Weight iShares Global Consumer Discretionary ETF (NYSE:RXI): 9.61% Weight Dana Unconstrained Equity ETF (NYSE:DUNK): 9.10% Weight Significance: Because AMZN carries such a heavy weight in these funds, any significant inflows or outflows will likely trigger automatic buying or selling of the stock. Price Action AMZN Stock Price Activity: Amazon.com shares were down 0.91% at $208.23 at the time of publication on Tuesday, according to Benzinga Pro data. Photo: Shutterstock