March 5 (Reuters) - Avride has partnered with Hyundai

Motor Co ( HYMTF ) to expand its fleet of robotaxis, and

signed a deal with the South Korean automaker to jointly develop

and operate self-driving vehicles, the companies said on

Wednesday.

The Texas-based startup will expand its fleet to 100 Hyundai

IONIQ 5 cars this year and further in 2026, as Avride looks to

enter new regions and enhance its self-driving system.

Avride is among many self-driving technology development

companies expanding their fleet of robotaxis, entering new

markets and tying up with ride-hailing companies.

Elon Musk-led Tesla prepares to launch its autonomous

ride-hailing service in California and Texas this year, while

Alphabet unit Waymo rolled out its robotaxi services exclusively

on Uber's ( UBER ) platform on Tuesday in Austin, Texas.

Avride said its latest IONIQ 5 vehicles will be part of its

robotaxi services exclusively on Uber ( UBER ) in Dallas, Texas.

Its cars will be manufactured in the United States at

Hyundai's Metaplant facility in Georgia and then retrofitted

with Avride's self-driving technology suite.

The companies said as part of the partnership, they will

develop a fleet of robotaxis and explore the potential to

collaborate on autonomous delivery services using Avride's

robots.

The startup was previously part of the self-driving division

of Russian company Yandex, from which it separated last year

following corporate restructuring.

The Russian firm had in 2019 partnered with Hyundai's

automotive supply unit to develop software and hardware systems

for self-driving cars.

Avride's team in the past has worked with vehicles made by

Hyundai Motor ( HYMTF ) as platforms for its autonomous technology,

including the Sonata and IONIQ 5 models.