By Paul Derrington, Jr.
CEO | Chief Engineer | Research Engineer | Editor, D-CSIL
3 min read
Key Takeaways
Toyota and Waymo said on October 30 that Toyota will build autonomous versions of its bZ4X electric SUV with Waymo's self-driving hardware installed on the assembly line at its Takaoka plant. A test fleet starts in Japan in 2027, with the UK and other Waymo markets to follow in later years. The plan builds on a preliminary agreement the companies announced in April 2025.
What Toyota and Waymo announced
On October 30, Toyota and Waymo said they will begin initial operations to test and validate an autonomous Toyota bZ4X fleet in Japan in 2027, with deployment to the United Kingdom and other Waymo-serviced markets planned for the following years. The announcement builds on the preliminary agreement the two companies announced in April 2025.
The companies describe the partnership as “a major milestone in the expansion of Japan's first fully autonomous ride-hailing service using high-volume, domestically manufactured vehicles,” and say the vehicles are safety-validated Level 4 autonomous vehicles running the Waymo Driver.
Built and fitted at one plant
Toyota will build the vehicles at its Takaoka plant in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, and the entire process will take place under one roof, from assembling the base vehicle to integrating Waymo's self-driving hardware.
TechCrunch describes the partnership, for now, as looking more like a conventional vehicle supplier deal that adds a new model to Waymo's robotaxi lineup. Waymo co-CEO Dmitri Dolgov said the company chose Toyota “because of our respect for the legendary safety, reliability, and quality of their vehicles.”
What riders will get, and what was not disclosed
The ride-hailing version of the bZ4X is custom-fitted for passengers: generous rear legroom, automatic doors, a power liftgate, and ambient lighting, according to Toyota. Dolgov said that in areas where Waymo operates, the company has demonstrated it is “up to 20x safer than human drivers when it comes to serious crash injuries” — Waymo's claim about its own service, not a test result for the Toyota fleet.
The companies did not disclose how many vehicles they would initially deploy or where in Japan they would operate, Reuters reported, and UK deployment is planned for “the following years” without a date. Toyota executive vice president Hiroki Nakajima said initial operations would involve a small number of vehicles, Reuters reported. The 2027 operations are described as testing and validation; no passenger-service date was given.
What to watch next
Separately, Waymo is currently testing Jaguar I-Pace vehicles in Japan and still plans a pilot using them in 2027, Dolgov said, according to Reuters. Dolgov also told Reuters, “We'll start with the right-hand drive markets in Japan and the UK.”
In the UK, Waymo has been testing Jaguar I-Pace vehicles in London for months and still awaits the permits to run a service there, TechCrunch reported. Toyota and Waymo also said they will keep exploring autonomous driving technology for personally owned Toyota vehicles, alongside Woven by Toyota, with no product or date announced. Dolgov told Reuters there are no other countries or timelines to share yet.