TOKYO - Toyota Motor will build electric bZ4X sport utility vehicles fitted with Waymo's self-driving system, and the two companies will begin testing a fleet of them in Japan in 2027, they said on Friday. Deployment to Britain and other markets where Waymo operates is planned for the years after that.
Toyota will assemble the vehicles at its Takaoka plant in Toyota City, in Aichi Prefecture, and will install Waymo's sensors and computers on the same site, from the base vehicle to the finished robotaxi. The companies described the project as a step toward Japan's first fully autonomous ride-hailing service built on high-volume, domestically made vehicles.
"Safety technology makes the biggest difference when it reaches as many people as possible," said Hiroki Nakajima, an executive vice president and board member at Toyota. "No single company can achieve the goal of zero traffic accidents alone, but with partners like Waymo, we will get there one step at a time."
Neither company said how many vehicles would be built or where in Japan they would run. Mr. Nakajima told reporters that initial operations would involve a small number of vehicles, Reuters reported.
"We'll start with the right-hand drive markets in Japan and the UK," Dmitri Dolgov, Waymo's co-chief executive, said, according to Reuters. "I think the vision and the strategic partnership is to extend that beyond that, but we don't have any other countries or timelines or specifics to share."
The deal moves forward a preliminary agreement the companies announced in April 2025 to explore working together on autonomous vehicles. Toyota said the custom bZ4X would have generous rear legroom, automatic doors, a power liftgate and ambient lighting meant to make it easier for riders to get in and out.
Waymo is already testing Jaguar I-Pace vehicles in Japan and still plans a pilot with them in 2027, Mr. Dolgov said, according to Reuters. TechCrunch noted that Waymo has been testing the Jaguars in London for months and plans to start a robotaxi service there once it receives the permits it needs.
The companies also said they would keep exploring autonomous driving technology for privately owned Toyota cars, and that they would work with Woven by Toyota on ways Waymo's driving data could improve safety for other road users. The announcement follows Waymo's plan for a service in the Madrid region in 2027.