Overview

• Toyota and Waymo have announced a strategic partnership to co-develop a new autonomous vehicle platform for private consumers.
• Waymo’s technology, currently used in its robotaxi fleet, will be adapted to enable fully driverless operation in consumer vehicles using LiDAR systems.
• Waymo’s robotaxis now complete over 250,000 paid rides weekly across multiple U.S. cities, maintaining its lead in the autonomous vehicle market.
• The partnership contrasts with Tesla’s camera-only approach, as Elon Musk prepares for a limited robotaxi launch in Austin this June.
• Amazon’s Zoox is also advancing its LiDAR-equipped, wheel-less robotaxis, intensifying competition in the race for autonomous vehicle dominance.