US autonomous driving startup Nuro said on Thursday that it is establishing operations in Germany, opening its first European office in the Munich area as it expands its Level 4 AI driving platform. The Munich office will serve as Nuro’s European hub, supporting engineering, operations, and partner engagement, according to the Softbank-backed company. The European hub will allow Nuro to validate and adapt its technology for European driving conditions and regulatory frameworks. “Expanding to Germany is an important step in Nuro becoming a truly global autonomy company,” said Dave Ferguson, co-founder and co-Chief Executive Officer of Nuro. “We’re developing a universal Level 4 platform that can serve partners across vehicle categories and regions, and this expansion brings us closer to the partners, road conditions, and regulatory environments that will shape long-term deployment,” Ferguson added. The Universal Autonomy Platform Strategy Nuro’s approach is intended to reduce integration complexity, accelerate development cycles, and establish a consistent technical foundation across the full range of vehicle applications. The strategic positioning distinguishes Nuro from autonomous driving competitors that have focused narrowly on a single vehicle category — such as Waymo’s robotaxi-only deployment, or autonomous trucking startups focused exclusively on logistics. By developing a single Level 4 platform adaptable to multiple vehicle types, Nuro is positioning itself as a horizontal supplier to OEMs and ride-hailing operators rather than a vertically integrated competitor. The Japan Precedent Nuro’s Munich expansion builds directly on the company’s Japanese operations, which served as the first validation of its universal platform thesis. In Tokyo, Nuro demonstrated what it calls “zero-shot autonomy” with the Nuro Driver — showing that its platform could operate in a new driving environment without prior training on local driving data. Germany introduces a broader range of road infrastructure and regulatory frameworks that will further strengthen the generalisability of