DETROIT (WXYZ) — Silicon Valley autonomous vehicle company Waymo has begun testing its driverless cars on Detroit streets this week, marking a significant milestone in the Motor City's automotive evolution.

The Google-owned company announced Detroit as one of three new U.S. cities that will receive robotaxi service as early as next year. Waymo vehicles are now mapping Detroit roads in preparation for the public launch.

Watch Evan Sery's video report below: Detroit gets Waymo robotaxis as autonomous vehicles begin mapping city streets

"We're really excited to launch our service in Detroit, especially with the history in Detroit," said Jake Tretter, a Waymo technical program manager. "Better performance than humans is what we're really after."

Waymo, which launched in 2009, already ope

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