Toyota to build Waymo robotaxis for Japan and the UK
Toyota and Waymo have specified the vehicle behind the next phase of their autonomous-driving partnership: a purpose-built bZ4X assembled in Japan. Initial operations there are planned for 2027, with commercial service following later. The electric vehicles are also intended for international robotaxi markets, including the UK, while work on privately owned autonomous cars remains exploratory.
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Toyota names the vehicle and production plant
Toyota and Waymo will use a purpose-built version of the bZ4X electric vehicle for the next phase of their robotaxi partnership. The Japanese automaker will manufacture the vehicles at its Takaoka factory in Japan and integrate Waymo’s self-driving equipment on the production line. Announced on October 30, the arrangement gives the collaboration a named vehicle and a manufacturing location after an initial agreement to explore a joint autonomous platform. Waymo, which develops and operates driverless ride-hailing services, is adding the Toyota model to the vehicles it uses for those operations.[1], [2]
Japan operations are planned for 2027
The first autonomous bZ4X operations in Japan are planned for 2027. Woven by Toyota, the automaker’s software and mobility subsidiary, describes an initial operational phase followed by commercial service. TechCrunch reports that testing will come first. Neither account sets a date when passengers can begin booking paid rides in these Toyota vehicles. The partnership’s previous milestone was a preliminary agreement in April 2025, when the companies said they would investigate an autonomous vehicle platform. The new announcement advances that work toward a fleet, while retaining a sequence of testing, initial operations and later commercial use.[1], [2]
The vehicles are intended for right-hand-drive markets
The supply arrangement also addresses Waymo’s needs outside Japan. TechCrunch reports that the Toyota vehicles are intended for other right-hand-drive markets, including the UK. Waymo has been testing Jaguar I-Pace vehicles in London and plans a service there once the necessary permits are obtained. The Toyota announcement places the bZ4X within that international expansion rather than limiting it to one Japanese fleet. It does not announce that the Toyota vehicle has already entered commercial service in London, or that regulatory approval for that service has been granted.[2]
The companies also continue exploring whether Waymo technology can be used in personally owned Toyota vehicles. That work remains exploratory. Alongside the fleet partnership, they describe possible safety initiatives using experience from Waymo’s real-world operations. Toyota is separately examining connections between vehicles and traffic infrastructure. These are stated areas for further work within the collaboration, with no consumer vehicle launch date or specification announced in the reports.[1], [2]
