Many MindedWaymo to build its next robotaxi on a Toyota electric SUV made in Japan
Waymo is adding the Toyota bZ4X electric SUV to its robotaxi lineup. Toyota will build a custom version at its Takaoka plant in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, with the Waymo Driver hardware installed and integrated at the same site. A test fleet is due to start running in Japan in 2027, focused on testing and validating the vehicles. It is the first vehicle to come out of the Toyota–Waymo partnership, which began in April 2025 as a preliminary agreement to explore cooperation.
The robotaxi version adds rear legroom, automatic doors, a power liftgate and ambient lighting. Waymo has said it targets fully driverless commercial rides in Tokyo in 2027 with Nihon Kotsu and the GO app, scaling to about 100 vehicles, pending regulatory approval.
The significance is in the supply chain. Waymo's US fleet is still mostly Jaguar I-Pace SUVs, a model Jaguar no longer builds. It is also adding the Zeekr-built Ojai van and the Hyundai Ioniq 5. A mass-market EV with autonomy fitted at the factory, rather than retrofitted afterward, should help lower per-vehicle cost and speed up scaling. The refreshed model sells in the US as the Toyota bZ from $34,900. Cheaper, steadier vehicle supply is what lets driverless rides reach more cities, and electric vehicles keep that fleet off fuel.
Caveats are significant. Waymo did not disclose sensor specs, unit volumes or per-vehicle cost, so any savings are an inference. Tokyo service needs regulatory approval. The UK and other markets have no dates. Toyota's use of the Waymo Driver in personally owned cars has no concrete plans. Hyundai's reported talks to supply up to 50,000 Ioniq 5 robotaxis by 2028 are unconfirmed. Watch for volumes and the Tokyo approval.
Source: Electrek