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.

Amazon.com Inc.’s Zoox autonomous driving unit opened a robotaxi production facility in California in the latest move by a deep-pocketed tech company to expand the nascent industry.