Artificial intelligence mobility startup Tensor has unveiled what it calls the world’s first personal Level-4 autonomous vehicle, debuting the Tensor Robocar at GITEX Global 2025 in Dubai as it prepares for consumer sales in the UAE next year.
The Robocar, which Tensor describes as an “AI agentic vehicle”, can operate without a steering wheel or pedals and learns from its owner’s habits over time. It uses encrypted communication between the car and the owner’s mobile app to ensure data privacy.
“It’s hands-off, eyes-off, mind-off,” said Amy Luca, Tensor’s chief marketing officer, in an exclusive interview with Arabian Business on the sidelines of GITEX.
“People compared it to Knight Rider’s KITT — and it’s not far off. The car can anticipate when you need to leave, plan routes and communicate directly with you, while keeping your data inside the vehicle,” she said.
Tensor unveils first Level-4 Robocar
Tensor strongly believes that the key selling point is automation that returns time to its users. Luca said the Robocar’s key value lies in freeing drivers from traffic and commutes.
“Level-4 autonomy gives you your time back,” she said. “We can’t buy more hours in the day, but the car can give you some of them back.”
Behind the scenes, the Robocar functions more like a distributed computing system than a traditional automobile. Tensor relies on multiple redundant AI layers such as a primary, secondary and safety driver to monitor the road and ensure fail-safe operation.
The company has opted for LIDAR sensors, despite some rivals moving away from the technology, arguing that depth-sensing lasers are critical for trust at full automation. “When a car has no pedals or steering wheel, safety has to be absolute,” Luca said. “LIDAR gives us that confidence.”
To address liability, a persistent hurdle for autonomous transport, Tensor has partnered with global broker Marsh to design what it says is the first insurance policy tailored for Level-4 vehicles. The policy transfers responsibility from the driver to the manufacturer when the car is in autonomous mode.
“When the Robocar is driving itself, we take on full liability,” Luca said. “That’s essential to build public trust and a viable ownership model.”
Dubai as the launchpad
Tensor chose Dubai for the global debut in part because of the emirate’s push to make 25 per cent of all transport autonomous by 2030.
“Dubai’s ambition makes it a natural launchpad,” Luca said. “There’s a real appetite here for new technology, and the regulatory environment is moving faster than most other markets.”
Public response at GITEX has reinforced that decision, she added, with strong early interest from potential buyers. Tensor plans to open pre-orders in 2026, followed by deliveries in the UAE later that year before expanding to the US and Europe. Pricing has not yet been disclosed.
Tensor sees the Robocar as the start of a shift in personal mobility from vehicles that are driven to vehicles that think. The model continuously adapts to its owner’s routines and entertainment preferences, effectively turning into what Luca calls “an intelligent companion.”
“It’s closer to owning a supercomputer than a car,” she said. “Over time it learns how you move, what you like to listen to, and how you want to travel.”
Luca expects public acceptance to follow the same curve seen in early autonomous deployments in US cities. “At first people were skeptical, and now they’re choosing autonomous rides because they feel safer,” she said.
If the company meets its timeline, the UAE could become the first market where consumers own a fully self-driving personal vehicle rather than rely on robotaxis or shared fleets.
“Ten years from now,” Luca said, “we’ll look back on this moment as the point where the car truly became intelligent,” she concluded.
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