MODENA, Italy. Seeing it up close is quite an experience. Climb inside and the feeling is even harder to put into words. Sitting in one of its four seats, you get a glimpse of the future: innovation, boldness and technology — qualities often associated with Modena and the surrounding Motor Valley, a birthplace of extraordinary ideas and automotive creations.

But don't call it a car.

Zoox is anything but. The self-driving robotaxi developed by Amazon and Modena-based CPC was the star of the opening day of the 2026 Motor Valley Fest, part of a series of events organized by Momenti di Maria Carafoli.

The vehicle drew crowds when it arrived beneath Modena's Ghirlandina tower in Piazza Torre, giving residents a chance to see it up close. It was a homecoming of sorts: Zoox is built just a few miles away, at CPC's plant on Via delle Suore.

From Modena, the robotaxi has made its way to the United States, where people in cities including San Francisco and Las Vegas can already take a driverless ride to a restaurant — without a steering wheel or pedals. It is, in short, something most people have never seen before.

How is Zoox built?

No steering wheel. No pedals. And, of course, no driver.

The vehicle has a distinctive, fully symmetrical design and can travel in either direction. Its artificial-intelligence system processes vast amounts of data in real time, identifying vehicles, pedestrians, obstacles, traffic lights and road signs while creating a three-dimensional map of its surroundings.

Those are some of the secrets behind Zoox, the Amazon-CPC autonomous robotaxi that could one day be seen on Modena's streets, perhaps along the city's boulevards or Via Emilia through the historic center.

For now, this highly innovative vehicle is being built less than two miles from the Ghirlandina, at CPC's Via delle Suore facility.

From Modena to the U.S. — and back

“The collaboration between Silicon Valley and Motor Valley began in 2015, when both CPC and Zoox were still relatively small companies, each with about 300 employees,” said Thomas Vecchi, CPC's chief security officer.

“Zoox believed in CPC's technology and innovation from the very beginning. That set both companies on a path of tremendous growth: today Zoox has about 2,500 employees and CPC nearly 1,400.”

After 10 years of work, the companies have finally reached the production stages.

“Zoox has convinced the world that autonomous driving is real and that it can improve mobility and the way people get from A to B, without the need to own a car,” Vecchi said. “They believed in the project and spent 10 years testing the technology and convincing U.S. regulators that autonomous driving is safe. Today, they have received the green light in the United States, with operations already underway in San Francisco and Las Vegas.

“All of these vehicles are built in Modena. This is the Motor Valley reaching all the way to San Francisco.”

The vehicle itself grew out of an idea developed in Silicon Valley in 2014, said Bruce Baumgartner, one of Zoox’s Vice President.

“It is completely autonomous: There is no driver's seat, steering wheel or brake pedal. There is always a person supervising the vehicles and understanding what is happening, but the concept is fully autonomous point-to-point transportation designed for densely populated urban and suburban areas.”

Safety, Baumgartner said, is Zoox's top priority.

“It is the foundation on which the entire vehicle was conceived. Every passenger inside the cabin receives the same level of protection. It was essential for us to provide identical safety standards for everyone on board. The vehicle has more than 100 active and passive safety systems.”

Could Zoox one day hit the streets of Modena?

“That would be a dream,” Baumgartner said. “We have had very positive conversations with our partners at CPC about bringing the vehicle to the city one day. We are already actively considering what comes after the United States. Right now, we're focused on the U.S. market, but I think Modena would be an ideal place for this vehicle.”

The idea immediately won the support of Mayor Massimo Mezzetti.

“I like the idea,” Mezzetti said. “I would like to see Zoox tested in Modena, as the first city, on a predetermined route.”

Mitsubishi's investment

“What we're seeing here at the Motor Valley Fest is an important partnership for Modena,” said Sebastiano Rio, CEO of CPC. “I believe it represents a fundamental contribution to the city's future, while staying rooted in our traditions and our heritage.

“Our collaboration with Zoox began years ago, as a partnership built on engineering, technology and know-how. Today, that journey has brought us to a tangible success: We have entered production.

“Meeting the demands of the market and becoming part of a new era of mobility wasn't easy, but it was also a tremendous source of motivation. This achievement is the result of an important development effort, made possible in part by Mitsubishi's €400 million investment in the Modena company.

“Today we're seeing the results of 10 years of work. In September, the new plant on Via delle Suore will also begin operations. It's been quite a journey.”

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