Waymo is deepening its April 2025 alliance with Toyota by selecting the all-electric bZ4X SUV to spearhead international expansion. The autonomous vehicles will be built directly at Toyota's Takaoka facility in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, marking a departure from post-assembly retrofits. These vehicles will complement Waymo's current and upcoming fleet, which includes the Jaguar I-Pace, Zeekr RT, and Hyundai Ioniq 5. Additionally, the companies are partnering with Woven by Toyota to apply fleet telemetry toward advancing road safety infrastructure.
Key points
Direct factory assembly eliminates redundant labor, custom mounting brackets, and seconda…: Direct factory assembly eliminates redundant labor, custom mounting brackets, and secondary shipping costs for autonomous fleets.
The collaboration lays the groundwork for expanding driverless operations into the United…: The collaboration lays the groundwork for expanding driverless operations into the United Kingdom and other international markets.
Both companies are investigating ways to incorporate autonomous driving technology into p…: Both companies are investigating ways to incorporate autonomous driving technology into personally owned consumer vehicles.
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Waymo announced today that when it launches a robotaxi service in Tokyo in 2027, it will use Toyota bZ4X electric vehicles that are assembled in Japan. The news builds on the strategic partnership between Waymo and Toyota which was first announced in April 2025.
Waymo’s next robotaxi is a purpose-built Toyota bZ4X
Toyota will assemble Waymo-equipped bZ4X electric SUVs directly on its factory line in Japan ahead of planned robotaxi rollouts in Tokyo and the UK.
Toyota will assemble Waymo-equipped bZ4X electric SUVs directly on its factory line in Japan ahead of planned robotaxi rollouts in Tokyo and the UK.
The robotaxis will be built entirely under one roof at Toyota’s Takaoka plant in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Instead of building regular cars and modifying them later, the factory will install Waymo’s self-driving sensors and computers right on the assembly line as each car is made.
A team-up between the world’s largest automaker and the world’s leader in autonomous driving obviously has huge implications. Currently, Waymo uses two vehicle models on the road today — the Jaguar I-Pace and…
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