Sept 8 (Reuters) - Uber ( UBER ) and China-based

self-driving tech firm Momenta announced plans on Monday to test

level 4 autonomous vehicles in Germany next year, as the

ride-hailing platform seeks to expand its robotaxi footprint

amid rising competition.

Autonomous vehicles classified as level 4 can drive without

human intervention in specific zones and under certain

conditions.

Uber ( UBER ) has been attempting to establish a strong foothold in

the robotaxi industry through partnerships with companies

including Alphabet's Waymo, Lucid and WeRide ( WRD )

as Tesla also expands its nascent autonomous

taxi services.

Self-driving technology has faced a long road to

commercialization as safety regulators heavily scrutinize

autonomous cars over accidents and crashes.

Momenta's driver assistance software is on the road in

400,000 vehicles through its automotive partnerships, the

company said.

Uber ( UBER ) and Momenta first announced their partnership in May to

introduce autonomous vehicles in international markets outside

the U.S. and China.