HAYWARD, Calif. (AP) — Amazon is gearing up to make as many as 10,000 robotaxis annually at a sprawling plant near Silicon Valley as it prepares to challenge self-driving cab leader Waymo. Tesla CEO Elon Musk is also vying to join the autonomous race.

Amazon is gearing up to make as 10,000 robotaxis annually at a sprawling plant near Silicon Valley as it prepares to challenge self-driving cab leader Waymo

The self-driving tech company has begun building its small, custom-designed vehicles at a new Bay Area factory ahead of its commercial ride-service launch in Las Vegas this year.

Waymo, the self-driving car unit of Google parent Alphabet, is returning to New York City. But it won’t be offering rides to the paying public yet, as it currently does in four other cities. The company announced Wednesday that it has applied for a permit with the New York City Department of Transportation for its vehicles to operate autonomously with a “trained specialist” behind the wheel in Manhattan.

Alphabet's self-driving unit Waymo said on Wednesday its vehicles will be back in New York City next month for autonomous testing, as it continues to scale operations in the U.S.