Toyota and Waymo have moved their self-driving partnership into a new phase. Toyota will build a fleet of autonomous bZ4X electric SUVs at its Takaoka plant in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, handling everything from assembling the base vehicle to fitting Waymo’s driving hardware. Testing and validation of the fleet in Japan begins in 2027, the companies said on 30 October, with deployment in the United Kingdom and other Waymo markets planned for later years.
The agreement builds on a preliminary deal announced in April 2025. The two companies will also explore autonomous technology for privately owned Toyota cars, and safety work with Woven by Toyota. The custom bZ4X gets extra rear legroom, automatic doors and a powered tailgate.
Why it matters: how quickly robotaxis spread depends partly on how many suitable vehicles can be built, and this puts Waymo’s system on a production line at Japan’s biggest carmaker. Waymo has separately said it plans to start a robotaxi service in Tokyo in 2027. Waymo says that, by its own figures, its vehicles are up to 20 times safer than human drivers on serious-injury crashes in the areas where it operates.
Source: Waymo.