Toyota is about to build a robotaxi on its own assembly line. The automaker and Waymo announced today that the Toyota bZ4X, sold as the "bZ" in the US, will become the platform for autonomous testing in Japan starting in 2027, with Waymo's self-driving hardware fitted at the factory.

The plan covers right-hand-drive markets, starting with Japan. Toyota's chief technology officer said the initial fleet will stay small, and neither company has named the test locations or a vehicle count yet.

Waymo already runs robotaxis across several US cities and is testing Jaguar I-Pace fleets in London and Tokyo. The bZ4X deal is its first factory-integrated program aimed at right-hand-traffic markets. Japan gets the first bZ4X test fleet, with the United Kingdom and other Waymo-serviced countries penciled in for later years, though no dates have been set.

The companies described 2027 as a testing and validation phase for the bZ4X program. It has not been confirmed how many bZ4X vehicles will run, which cities will host them, or when paying riders might get in one.

Waymo's all-electric Jaguar I-Pace fleet with the Waymo Driver is already driving in Tokyo, ahead of fully driverless commercial taxi service planned there in 2027. The bZ4X program runs alongside that effort. That gives Waymo two separate autonomous vehicle platforms tied to its Japan plans at once.

Toyota has kept this robotaxi work separate from anything meant for private buyers. The company said it will keep exploring vehicle-to-infrastructure tech and other ways to eventually bring driver-assist advances to customers.

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