Powered by Mercedes’ in-house MB.OS architecture, the first batch of test Robotaxis are scheduled to enter commercial operation in Abu Dhabi in 2026, with further expansion to additional global markets.
On December 9, Mercedes-Benz, Chinese autonomous-driving company Momenta, and UAE mobility operator Lumo jointly announced the launch of an L4-level Robotaxi developed on the latest Mercedes-Benz S-Class platform, marking its official landing in Abu Dhabi.
The project adopts Mercedes’ proprietary MB.OS architecture, with the first test fleet planned to enter commercial operation in Abu Dhabi in 2026. The companies plan to expand deployments to more markets worldwide over time.
The newly introduced Mercedes-Benz S-Class Robotaxi is the industry’s first scalable, luxury autonomous-mobility product built on a production-vehicle platform.
The model combines Mercedes’ premium vehicle configuration, SAE Level-4 autonomous-driving technology, and Lumo’s localized operational capabilities, offering a high-end use case for commercializing autonomous mobility.
Compared with typical industry Robotaxi setups, Momenta deploys its service by reusing mass-production vehicle platforms.
Powered by the Momenta R6 reinforcement-learning foundation model, the company applies a unified software stack and sensor suite across both L2 and L4 systems, enabling faster scale-up and commercialization.
Momenta CEO Xudong Cao said the collaboration leverages Mercedes’ engineering ecosystem, Momenta’s AI foundation model, and Lumo’s operating capabilities, with the shared goal of bringing luxury vehicles into autonomous-mobility scenarios.
Mercedes and Momenta have a long history of cooperation. As early as 2017, Mercedes became the first international automaker to invest in Momenta.
Before the Abu Dhabi deployment, the two companies had already rolled out joint achievements in China.
In September, the intelligent-driving assistance system jointly developed based on Momenta’s Flywheel model was installed on the new all-electric Mercedes CLA, which launched in November.
The system enables intelligent assisted driving from parking space to parking space across highway, urban, and parking scenarios.
Globally, Momenta is accelerating the commercialization of its autonomous-driving business.
In September, the company and Uber announced a partnership to advance joint Robotaxi operations in Munich, with commercial services planned for launch in 2026.
In China, Momenta has already opened Robotaxi services in Shanghai, with its first batch of fully driver-out vehicles expected to enter pilot operation by the end of 2025.
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