Waymo Picks Toyota bZ4X as Next Robotaxi, Starting in Japan
Toyota will build a custom bZ4X with the Waymo Driver installed on its own line. A test fleet is due in Japan in 2027.
Waymo is adding the Toyota bZ4X electric SUV to its robotaxi lineup. Toyota will build a custom version with the Waymo Driver integrated on the production line in Japan, and a test fleet will start operating there in 2027.
It is the first vehicle to come out of the partnership the two companies signed last year. The agreement from April 2025 was only preliminary. It said they would explore working together on autonomous driving, including in personally owned vehicles.
Built and fitted at one site
According to Waymo's announcement, Toyota will produce the vehicles at its Takaoka plant in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture. Waymo's self-driving hardware will be installed and integrated at the same site, rather than retrofitted somewhere else.
The robotaxi version of the bZ4X gets a few changes for passengers: extra rear legroom, automatic doors, a power liftgate and ambient lighting. Waymo did not share sensor specifications, unit volumes or the cost of each vehicle.
Operations in 2027 will focus on testing and validating the autonomous fleet in Japan. The UK and other Waymo markets follow in later years, with no dates given. The two companies also plan to keep working on autonomous technology for Toyota's personal vehicles, along with safety projects with Woven by Toyota, the automaker's software arm.
"Toyota's commitment to zero traffic accidents resonates deeply with us at Waymo," said Waymo co-CEO Dmitri Dolgov.
Tokyo launch and the wider fleet
The timing matches Waymo's plans for Japan. In September, the company said it was targeting fully driverless commercial rides in Tokyo in 2027 with taxi operator Nihon Kotsu and ride-hailing app GO. The service would scale to about 100 vehicles, pending regulatory approval.
In the US, Waymo's fleet is still mostly made up of Jaguar I-Pace SUVs, a model Jaguar no longer produces. The company has been adding the Zeekr-built Ojai van and the Hyundai Ioniq 5. Hyundai is reportedly in talks to supply up to 50,000 Ioniq 5 robotaxis by 2028.
The bZ4X is not new to robotaxi work. Toyota and Pony.ai started mass-producing bZ4X-based robotaxis in China earlier this year. In the US, the refreshed model is sold simply as the Toyota bZ, starting at $34,900.
Waymo now provides more than 500,000 paid rides a week across 15 US metro areas. Earlier this month it picked Toronto as its first Canadian city, with riders targeted for 2028.
Source: Electrek