Waymo's next robotaxi is a factory-built Toyota bZ4X, starting in Japan in 2027

The skim

• Toyota will build robotaxis for Waymo. A custom, self-driving version of the bZ4X electric SUV starts test operations in Japan in 2027, with the UK and other Waymo markets to follow in later years.
• Toyota will assemble the cars and install Waymo's sensors and computers on the same line at its Takaoka plant in Aichi Prefecture, instead of retrofitting finished vehicles.
• Neither company said how many cars or which Japanese cities. Toyota says the first fleet will be small.

What happened

Toyota and Waymo announced on Friday the next phase of a partnership that began as a loose preliminary agreement in April 2025. According to Toyota's announcement, the two will "begin initial operations to test and validate an autonomous Toyota bZ4X fleet in Japan in 2027," followed by deployment to the United Kingdom and other markets where Waymo operates.

Toyota will build the vehicles at its Takaoka plant in Toyota City, and "the entire process will take place under one roof, from assembling the base vehicle to integrating Waymo's AV hardware." The robotaxi version gets generous rear legroom, automatic doors, a power liftgate and ambient lighting. TechCrunch says the cars are the 2027 bZ4X, which is sold as the bZ in North America.

"We'll start with the right-hand drive markets in Japan and the UK," Waymo co-CEO Dmitri Dolgov said, according to Reuters, adding that there are no other countries or timelines to share yet. Toyota CTO Hiroki Nakajima said initial operations would involve a small number of vehicles, Reuters reports.

Why it matters

Growing a robotaxi service means getting cars built in volume. A vehicle that comes off Toyota's line with Waymo's hardware already integrated is a different thing from bolting sensors onto finished cars, and it gives Waymo a right-hand-drive model for countries that drive on the left. Toyota calls it a milestone toward "Japan's first fully autonomous ride-hailing service using high-volume, domestically manufactured vehicles."

It also tells you where Waymo is going next. It has been testing Jaguar I-Pace robotaxis in London for months and plans to launch there once it gets permits, TechCrunch reports. In Japan, Dolgov told Reuters, Waymo is testing I-Paces too and still plans a pilot with them in 2027, so the Toyotas join that work rather than replacing it.

For Toyota, the deal is a way into driverless tech without building its own robotaxi service. The companies say they'll keep exploring Waymo's technology for personally owned Toyota cars, and Toyota's Woven by Toyota unit will look at how data from Waymo's real-world operations could improve safety for other road users. TechCrunch's read is more modest: for now it "looks more like a conventional vehicle supplier deal."

What's next

Expect the first bZ4X test fleet on Japanese roads in 2027, with UK service in the years after that. Waymo says it is "up to 20x safer than human drivers when it comes to serious crash injuries" where it operates, a record from the cities where it already runs that it will now have to match on Japanese and British streets. Nothing here is for sale to the public, and there's still no word on cities or fleet size.

Sources: Toyota, Woven by Toyota, TechCrunch and Reuters.