New York, Jan 8, 2026, 14:58 EST — Regular session
- Uber shares rose nearly 2% in afternoon trade, with partner Lucid also higher.
- Uber, Lucid and Nuro showcased a production-intent robotaxi at CES and said on-road testing began in December.
- Traders are watching what robotaxis mean for Uber’s fee per trip as well as the timing of its next earnings report.
Uber Technologies, Inc (UBER.N) shares rose 1.9% to $87.85 in afternoon trading on Thursday, while partner Lucid Group (LCID.O) climbed about 4%.
The move comes as investors re-price the long-running question around Uber’s future: will robotaxis become a cheaper supply of rides or a rival product that cuts into Uber’s slice of each fare. “Potential competition from autonomous vehicles has long been considered a key risk to Uber’s terminal value,” Jefferies analyst John Colantuoni wrote, pointing to renewed attention on Tesla and Alphabet’s Waymo. 1
Uber and partners Lucid and Nuro said this week they unveiled the “production intent” vehicles for a planned robotaxi service and began autonomous on-road testing last month in the San Francisco Bay Area with safety operators. Nuro said its system is “level 4” autonomy — meaning the car can drive itself in certain areas and conditions without a human driver taking over. 2
CES has turned the self-driving theme into a live market trade again, with chipmakers and car tech suppliers using the Las Vegas show to pitch new tools for autonomy. Uber’s Lucid-based robotaxi design was one of the transportation unveilings on the show floor, alongside fresh marketing from Nvidia around autonomous-vehicle systems. 3
Jefferies kept a Buy rating and a $120 price target on Uber, arguing the stock’s drop since late September reflects fears that may take longer to show up in earnings. Colantuoni said the impact from autonomous vehicles on Uber’s growth should be “minimal until 2027,” based on the pace of deployment and the company’s push to broaden partnerships rather than build its own fleet. 4
The stock has traded in the mid-$80s this week and sits below its 52-week high, with traders treating the self-driving headlines as a near-term catalyst rather than a clean earnings driver. Uber’s shares have moved within a roughly $85-$88 range on Thursday, and the stock’s 52-week range stands at about $61 to $102, according to market data. 5
But the bet cuts both ways. Barron’s cited sharply split calls, with Evercore ISI’s Conor Cunningham keeping a Sell rating and a $73 target on competition concerns, while Gordon Haskett’s Robert Mollins kept a Buy rating and a $115 target as he looks for Uber to benefit from a broader autonomous ecosystem. 6
Next up, investors will look for clearer timelines on validation and production for the Lucid-Nuro robotaxi and what Uber expects to earn per autonomous trip as fleets scale. Traders are also circling Uber’s next quarterly report; Yahoo’s earnings calendar lists Feb. 4 as the expected date, though the company has not confirmed it. 7
