Waymo is set to begin testing autonomous Toyota bZ4X vehicles in Japan next year, marking a significant step in a broader, evolving partnership between the two companies to supply electric vehicles for commercial robotaxi operations in international markets, including the United Kingdom.
Under the partnership agreement, Toyota will manufacture the 2027 model year bZ4X vehicles and integrate Waymo’s advanced self-driving system directly at its Takaoka factory in Japan. In the North American market, this specific electric vehicle is known simply as the BZ.
The upcoming fleet of autonomous bZ4X vehicles will initially undergo rigorous testing in Japan, where Waymo ultimately intends to operate a commercial robotaxi service. However, the strategic intent behind the manufacturing arrangement extends beyond Japanese borders. The companies plan to deploy these custom-built autonomous vehicles in other right-hand driving countries, most notably the United Kingdom. Waymo has already spent months testing its autonomous Jaguar I-Pace vehicles on the streets of London and intends to launch a commercial robotaxi service there once it secures the necessary regulatory permits from local authorities.
This major milestone comes roughly 18 months after Toyota and Waymo first signed a preliminary agreement to explore the joint development and deployment of an autonomous vehicle platform. At the time of that initial announcement in April 2025, the agreement fell very much into a cautious exploratory category, characterized by vague language that left plenty of room for industry interpretation regarding whether the collaboration would ever materialize into a concrete commercial product.
For now, the partnership resembles a more conventional vehicle supplier arrangement, one that effectively helps Waymo fill specific regional operational needs while simultaneously introducing an entirely new mainstream vehicle model into its expanding robotaxi portfolio.
Yet, the long-term scope of the alliance could stretch far beyond commercial robotaxis. Executives from both companies have indicated that they will continue to evaluate opportunities to bring Waymo’s proprietary autonomous technology to personally owned Toyota vehicles in the future.
Furthermore, Toyota and Waymo announced that they plan to explore other collaborative initiatives that will leverage insights gathered from Waymo’s extensive real-world autonomous operations to improve overall safety for all road users. While the precise details of what these initiatives might entail remain under wraps, Hiroki Nakajima, executive vice president of Toyota and a member of the board, offered some key clues regarding the strategic vision behind the alliance.
"This collaboration will help scale that technology and bring it to customers in Japan and beyond through Waymo’s ride-hailing service, and in parallel, Toyota will continue to explore how integrating vehicles with traffic infrastructure can make those roads safer still," Nakajima said in a statement.
