Tensor's 'Robocar' Launch: Unveiling Ties to China's AutoX

A new company has emerged today with an audacious claim: it has developed “the first volume-produced, consumer-ready autonomous vehicle — designed from the ground up for private ownership at scale.” Dubbed Tensor, the company presents itself as a “leading AI agentic company” based in San Jose, California. Yet, despite its bold pronouncements, surprisingly little public information exists about its true origins or the entities backing this ambitious endeavor.

Digging deeper reveals a significant connection. According to a trademark application filed last April, Tensor is affiliated with AutoX, a Chinese autonomous vehicle developer with established operations in both the United States and its home country. Notably, Tensor’s official announcement makes no mention of this connection to AutoX or China. Instead, it states a dedication to “building agentic products that empower individual consumers,” with the Tensor “robocar” as its flagship offering. The company also claims to maintain offices in Barcelona, Singapore, and Dubai. This strategic separation strongly suggests that AutoX may have spun off its US-based team as Tensor, potentially as a maneuver to navigate tightening government restrictions on Chinese software in vehicles. A spokesperson for Tensor has not yet responded to inquiries regarding its affiliation with AutoX.

AutoX, founded in 2016 by former Princeton professor Jianxiong Xiao (also known as “Professor X”), has been quietly testing its autonomous vehicles in and around San Jose since its inception. Xiao is a noted specialist in 3D learning, computer vision, and robotics. While less prominent than some of its counterparts in the US and China, AutoX has attracted high-profile investors, including China’s Dongfeng Motor Group and e-commerce giant Alibaba. The company also forged a partnership with Fiat Chrysler (now Stellantis) in 2020 to launch a robotaxi service in China. In 2022, AutoX established a robotaxi operation center in San Francisco with aspirations for commercial service, though it has yet to secure the necessary permits for such an operation. For the permits it does possess, the company appears to have filed its rebranded name with the California Department of Motor Vehicles, listing Tensor as one of only six companies, alongside industry giants like Waymo and Zoox, authorized to test fully driverless vehicles on public roads in California.

Now, it appears AutoX is pivoting its focus from robotaxis to what it terms “robocars” for personal ownership. Tensor asserts its vehicle is “the first and only L4 autonomous vehicle available for personal ownership,” with plans for a launch across the US, Europe, and the Middle East starting in 2026. Amy Luca, Tensor’s Chief Marketing Officer and a former executive at marketing firm Monks, articulated the company’s vision in a press release: “When the world shifts… how will you move? We are building a world where individuals own their personal AGI agents, enhancing freedom, privacy and autonomy. With Tensor, we’re introducing the world’s first personal Robocar, ushering in the era of AI defined vehicles. This isn’t a car as we know it. It’s an embodied personal agent that moves you.” This rhetoric, replete with buzzwords like “AGI agents,” clearly aims to align Tensor with the current hype surrounding artificial general intelligence and advanced chatbots, perhaps suggesting that traditional autonomous vehicles are “last decade.”

The Tensor robocar itself appears to be a technological marvel, boasting an extensive array of sensors designed for comprehensive environmental perception. This includes 37 cameras, 5 lidars, 11 radars, 22 microphones, 10 ultrasonic sensors, 3 IMUs (inertial measurement units), GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), 16 collision detectors, 8 water-level detectors, 4 tire-pressure sensors, 1 smoke detector, and triple-channel 5G connectivity. While such a sophisticated sensor suite undoubtedly contributes to advanced autonomous capabilities, it also implies a significant cost, though Tensor has not yet disclosed a price for its forthcoming vehicle.

Several other companies have expressed ambitions to sell privately owned autonomous vehicles to consumers, but none have yet achieved this milestone. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has repeatedly promised the imminent arrival of an “unsupervised” version of the company’s Full Self-Driving feature, yet it remains elusive. Similarly, General Motors has indicated its eventual intent to sell fully driverless cars. However, a complex web of financial implications, regulatory hurdles, and liability concerns continues to pose formidable challenges that must be resolved before any company can truly usher in the era of privately owned autonomous vehicles.