Waymo has announced that its next robotaxi will be the Toyota bZ4X, an electric SUV that will have autonomous driving sensors and computers installed during manufacturing at Toyota’s Takaoka plant in Japan. The assembly-line build marks a shift from retrofitting finished vehicles, with a Tokyo service planned for 2027 and the vehicles also intended for UK operations.
The company currently uses the Jaguar I-Pace and Zeekr RT, with a third vehicle based on the Hyundai Ioniq 5 set to deploy soon. Toyota will install the sensor suite and computers on the assembly line at its Takaoka plant in Toyota City, Japan; this could help eliminate redundant labour, bespoke brackets and secondary shipping, and possibly bring down costs for Waymo.
Toyota will manufacture 2027 bZ4X vehicles, known as the BZ in North America. Waymo plans to begin testing the vehicles in Japan next year and intends to operate a robotaxi service in Tokyo in 2027. Waymo plans to launch a service in the UK once it receives the necessary permits. The company has been testing its Jaguar I-Pace vehicles in London.
The partnership between Waymo and Toyota was first announced in April 2025 as a preliminary agreement to explore autonomous vehicle deployment. Hiroki Nakajima, an executive vice president at Toyota, said in a statement: “This collaboration will help scale that technology and bring it to customers in Japan and beyond through Waymo’s ride-hailing service, and in parallel, Toyota will continue to explore how integrating vehicles with traffic infrastructure can make those roads safer still.”
Beyond robotaxis, the companies are exploring integrating Waymo’s technology into personally owned Toyota vehicles and using insights from Waymo’s real-world operations to improve general road safety, including through Toyota’s software subsidiary Woven by Toyota.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- Assembly-line integration could lower costs and accelerate deployment of autonomous vehicles by eliminating redundant labour and logistics.
- The partnership positions Toyota as a direct supplier of purpose-built robotaxis, deepening ties between the world's largest automaker and a leading autonomous driving company.
- Expansion into Japan and the UK tests Waymo's technology in new environments and regulatory regimes, a key step toward global operations.
Background
Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet, has been developing self-driving technology for more than a decade and launched the first commercial robotaxi service in the US in 2020. Toyota has invested heavily in autonomous mobility, including through its software subsidiary Woven by Toyota and the Woven City test site. The bZ4X is an all-electric SUV produced by Toyota.
What to Watch
- First on-road tests of the bZ4X in Japan, expected in 2027.
- Waymo's application for permits to operate a robotaxi service in the UK.
- Any announcements on integrating Waymo's technology into personally owned Toyota vehicles.
Checked
10 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 10 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedWaymo will test Toyota bZ4X vehicles in Japan next year.TechCrunch: “Waymo will begin testing autonomous Toyota bZ4X vehicles in Japan next year”
- SupportedWaymo plans a robotaxi service in the U.K., subject to receiving permits.TechCrunch: “Waymo has been testing its autonomous Jaguar I-Pace vehicles in London for months and plans to launch a robotaxi service there once it receives the necessary permits.”
- SupportedThe Toyota partnership involves supplying electric bZ4X vehicles for international robotaxi operations, including in the U.K.TechCrunch: “Waymo will begin testing autonomous Toyota bZ4X vehicles in Japan next year as part of a broader partnership with the automaker to provide electric vehicles for robotaxi operations in international markets, including the U.K.”
- SupportedToyota will manufacture 2027 bZ4X vehicles and integrate Waymo’s self-driving system at its Takaoka factory in Japan.TechCrunch: “Under the partnership announced Friday, Toyota will manufacture the 2027 bZ4X vehicles and integrate Waymo’s self-driving system at its Takaoka factory in Japan.”
- SupportedThe autonomous bZ4X vehicles will initially be tested in Japan, where Waymo intends eventually to operate a robotaxi service.TechCrunch: “The autonomous bZ4X vehicles will initially be tested in Japan, where Waymo intends to eventually operate a robotaxi service.”
- SupportedWaymo intends to deploy the vehicles in other right-hand-driving countries such as the U.K.TechCrunch: “But the intent is to deploy these vehicles in other right-hand driving countries such as the U.K.”
- SupportedThe announcement came 18 months after Toyota and Waymo signed a preliminary agreement to explore developing an autonomous vehicle platform.TechCrunch: “The announcement comes 18 months after Toyota and Waymo signed a preliminary agreement to explore the development and deployment of an autonomous vehicle platform.”
- SupportedWaymo had been testing autonomous Jaguar I-Pace vehicles in London for months.TechCrunch: “Waymo has been testing its autonomous Jaguar I-Pace vehicles in London for months”
- SupportedHiroki Nakajima said the collaboration would scale the technology and bring it to customers in Japan and beyond through Waymo’s ride-hailing service, while Toyota would continue exploring how integrating vehicles with traffic infrastructure could make roads safer.TechCrunch: ““This collaboration will help scale that technology and bring it to customers in Japan and beyond through Waymo’s ride-hailing service, and in parallel, Toyota will continue to explore how integrating vehicles with traffic infrastructure can make those roads safer still,””
- SupportedThe companies will continue to consider bringing Waymo’s autonomous technology to personally owned Toyota vehicles and examine future initiatives using insights from Waymo’s real-world operations to improve safety for other road users.TechCrunch: “The companies said they will continue to look at bringing Waymo’s autonomous technology to personally owned Toyota vehicles. Toyota and Waymo also announced plans to look at other future “initiatives” that would use “insights from Waymo’s real-world operations” to improve safety for other road users.”
