Toyota and Waymo to build driverless bZ4X robotaxis, testing in Japan in 2027
Toyota will build a custom bZ4X with Waymo's self-driving system on its Japanese assembly line; right-hand-drive markets come first.
Key facts
Story- Toyota and Waymo plan a driverless robotaxi fleet based on the bZ4X electric SUV, with testing in Japan in 2027.
- Toyota will build the custom robotaxi on the same assembly line as the regular bZ4X, with the Waymo Driver fitted there.
- The UK and other markets are expected to follow; private-vehicle plans have not been announced.
Waymo will add the Toyota bZ4X to its robotaxi fleet, with a test fleet due to start operating in Japan in 2027. The details come from the announcement made by the two companies, which is the first vehicle to emerge from a partnership they signed last year.
Toyota will build a custom version of the all-electric SUV with Waymo's self-driving system integrated on the production line in Japan. The driverless crossovers will be built on the same assembly line as the standard bZ4X.
The vehicle gives Waymo a Japanese-built car for its planned launch in Tokyo. The companies said the UK and other markets will follow. Right-hand-drive markets are the first to be targeted, before any plans for privately owned vehicles emerge.
The price of the robotaxi, how many vehicles the test fleet will include, and the exact cities beyond Tokyo that will be served first have not been disclosed.
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