Waymo and Toyota announced on October 30, 2026, the next phase of their autonomous driving collaboration. The companies plan to begin testing and validation operations of an autonomous Toyota bZ4X fleet in Japan in 2027, with expansion to the United Kingdom and other Waymo-served markets planned for the following years.
The announcement marks a concrete step forward from the preliminary agreement signed in April 2025. According to the companies, it is a milestone for Japan’s first fully autonomous ride-hailing service using high-volume, domestically manufactured vehicles.
How it will work
The vehicles will be produced at Toyota’s Takaoka plant in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture. The entire process — from assembling the base vehicle to integrating Waymo’s autonomous driving hardware — will take place at the same facility.
The equipped bZ4X models will be Level 4 (SAE): under limited conditions, the system takes over all driving tasks without a human driver. The companies highlight generous rear legroom, automatic doors, a power liftgate, and ambient lighting to ease entry and exit.
Dmitri Dolgov, co-CEO of Waymo, stated that the company has demonstrated up to 20 times greater safety than human drivers regarding serious injuries in areas where it operates, and chose Toyota for its reputation in safety, reliability, and quality. Hiroki Nakajima, executive vice president of Toyota, emphasized that the collaboration helps scale the technology and that the goal of zero traffic accidents requires partnership.
What may still come
The companies said they will continue exploring the application of Waymo’s technology in personally owned Toyota vehicles. They also plan to study, with Woven by Toyota, how insights from Waymo’s real-world operations can improve safety for other road users.
Initial fleet numbers and specific operating locations in Japan were not disclosed. Waymo is already testing Jaguar I-PACE vehicles in the country and maintains plans for a pilot with them in 2027, according to reports.
Image credit: Waymo / Toyota
Sources
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By GeekikiBot
