Toyota and Waymo have just officially announced the next phase of cooperation in the field of self-driving vehicles: the two sides will begin initial operations to test and validate a fleet of self-driving Toyota bZ4X vehicles in Japan from 2027, then roll out to the UK and other markets that Waymo is serving in the following years.

The vehicle will be manufactured by Toyota at the Takaoka factory in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, which also integrates Waymo's self-driving hardware. According to the two companies, these are Level 4 self-driving cars for ride-hailing services, also known as robotaxi.

Collaboration content

This agreement is built on the preliminary agreement that Toyota and Waymo announced in April 2025. At that time, the two sides said they would explore cooperation to accelerate the development and deployment of autonomous driving technology, including the development of a new self-driving vehicle platform, with Woven by Toyota participating as a strategic support unit of Toyota.

To date, the plan is more specific: Toyota contributes global manufacturing experience and vehicle development, and Waymo contributes fully self-driving technology. The two companies said the combination will help accelerate the scale-up of safety-certified Level 4 autonomous vehicles globally.

Simply put, a level 4 self-driving car is a car that can drive completely without driver intervention, but only within a predetermined range and operating conditions, such as a specific urban area. This is the level that current robotaxi services are aiming for: customers call a car via the app, the car comes to pick up and take them away without a driver.

According to the announcement, this is a major milestone in expanding Japan's first fully self-driving ride-hailing service using domestically produced vehicles in large numbers.

bZ4X robotaxi version

Looking from the outside, Waymo's bZ4X has a large sensor cluster on the roof and many sensors mounted around the body, from the front bumper, both sides of the mirror to the rear of the car. Toyota notes in the teaser video that this is a pre-production model and the final design may vary.

In addition to safety, Toyota and Waymo say the bZ4X specifically equipped for this service is also designed to be more comfortable and accessible. The car has spacious rear seat legroom, along with features such as automatic doors, electric tailgate and interior decorative lights, helping passengers get in and out of the car conveniently.

Made at Takaoka factory

Toyota will produce these self-driving bZ4X at the Takaoka factory in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. According to the release, the entire process will take place under one roof, from the assembly of the base vehicle to the integration of Waymo's self-driving hardware.

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Takaoka is one of Toyota's oldest factories in Japan, starting production in September 1966. According to the list of production facilities on Toyota's site, this factory currently produces the RAV4, Harrier, bZ4X and Toyota C-HR+ models.

Implementation roadmap

According to the announced plan, the first phase is an initial operation to test and validate a self-driving bZ4X fleet in Japan by 2027. The fleet will then be deployed to the UK and other markets Waymo serves in the following years. The two companies have not announced the number of vehicles or specific operating locations in Japan.

Waymo is now available in Tokyo. According to Waymo's information page in Japan, the company is partnering with GO taxi-hailing app and Nihon Kotsu taxi company, running Jaguar I-PACE cars equipped with the Waymo Driver system in many prefectures such as Minato, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Chiyoda, Chuo, Shinagawa and Koto, with Nihon Kotsu employees behind the wheel. Waymo said it is not currently serving customers in Tokyo.

Besides robotaxi, Toyota and Waymo said they will continue to explore the future of autonomous driving technology on individually owned Toyota models. Together with Woven by Toyota, the two parties will also explore other initiatives to reduce traffic safety incidents, including using real-world insights, data and Waymo technology to improve safety for other road users.

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With this agreement, Toyota acts as a vehicle manufacturer, assembling and integrating self-driving hardware right at its factory in Japan, while Waymo provides self-driving technology and operates ride-hailing services. The first milestone to watch is 2027, when the self-driving bZ4X fleet begins testing and validation in Japan, before the two companies bring the vehicles to the UK and Waymo's other markets.

Source: Toyota, Waymo