As Robotaxis Spread, Carmakers Must Choose Between Owning the Customer and Selling the Car

The robotaxi industry is creating a strategic divide between Transportation-as-a-Service (TaaS) companies like Tesla and Waymo that aim to own the customer relationship, and traditional automakers like Ford and GM that prefer selling autonomous vehicles to consumers. EVs' superior cost-per-mile economics make them ideal for continuous robotaxi operation, but the market will likely support both models. Tesla and BYD hold advantages due to their leading EV hardware positions, though Tesla's stock is heavily priced on successful robotaxi rollout assumptions.