Toyota Motor Corporation (“Toyota”) and Waymo today announced the next phase of their autonomous driving collaboration, in pursuit of a world with safer streets and freedom of movement for all.
Building on the preliminary agreement announced in April 2025, Toyota and Waymo will begin initial operations to test and validate an autonomous Toyota bZ4X fleet in Japan in 2027, with deployment to the United Kingdom and other Waymo-serviced markets planned for the following years. This partnership marks a major milestone in the expansion of Japan’s first fully autonomous ride-hailing service using high-volume, domestically manufactured vehicles.
Toyota will build the vehicles at its Takaoka plant in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. The entire process will take place under one roof, from assembling the base vehicle to integrating Waymo’s AV hardware.
By pairing Toyota’s global manufacturing and vehicle development expertise with Waymo’s fully autonomous technology, the companies will accelerate scaling safety-validated Level 4 autonomous vehicles globally — helping provide people with transit that reduces human-error accidents, and opening up freedom of movement for those who can’t easily get around.
Beyond safety, the custom-outfitted bZ4X is designed for comfort and greater accessibility. Generous rear legroom and features such as automatic doors, a power liftgate, and ambient lighting will provide seamless entry and exit for riders.
Toyota and Waymo will continue to explore the future of autonomous driving technology for personally owned Toyota vehicles. Alongside Woven by Toyota, they will also explore additional initiatives that support their shared goal of fewer road safety incidents, including how insights from Waymo’s real-world operations, data-driven intelligence, and technology could holistically improve safety for other road users.
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