Overview
- A pact announced Friday by Toyota and Waymo commits Toyota’s Takaoka plant to produce 2027-model bZ4X electric crossovers fitted on the line with Waymo’s autonomous hardware for initial testing in Japan next year.
- Waymo said the partners will focus first on right‑hand‑drive markets, starting in Japan and planning to expand to the United Kingdom and other similar markets afterward.
- Both companies said initial operations will be small and did not disclose how many bZ4X robotaxis will be deployed or the exact Japanese cities where they will operate.
- Toyota will install Waymo’s sensors and computing on the assembly line rather than retrofitting vehicles later, a move intended to cut retrofit work and lower fleet build complexity.
- The deal builds on an April 2025 collaboration and fits into Waymo’s wider fleet‑scaling push; the partners also said they will study bringing Waymo tech into consumer Toyotas and using operational data to improve road safety.