Amazon has signed an agreement to acquire Zoox, a ride-hailing group that developes autonomous technology from the ground up with passengers front-of-mind.

Aicha Evans, Zoox CEO, and Jesse Levinson, Zoox co-founder and CTO, will continue to lead Zoox as a standalone business as they innovate.

"Zoox is working to imagine, invent, and design a world-class autonomous ride-hailing experience," Jeff Wilke, Amazon’s CEO of worldwide consumer, said in a statement. "Like Amazon, Zoox is passionate about innovation and about its customers, and we're excited to help the talented Zoox team to bring their vision to reality in the years ahead."

Zoox started in 2014 with the vision of purpose-built, zero-emissions vehicles designed for autonomous ride-hailing, along with an end-to-end autonomy software stack. Zoox's ground-up vehicle focuses on the ride-hailing customer, with integrated features designed to provide a revolutionary passenger experience.

"This acquisition solidifies Zoox's impact on the autonomous driving industry," said Aicha Evans, CEO of Zoox. "We have made great strides with our purpose-built approach to safe, autonomous mobility, and our exceptionally talented team working every day to realize that vision. We now have an even greater opportunity to realize a fully autonomous future."

Completion of this transaction is subject to customary closing conditions.