Toyota and Waymo will begin testing and validating a fleet of autonomous Toyota bZ4X vehicles in Japan in 2027. The companies announced the next phase of their collaboration on 30 October 2026. Deployment to the United Kingdom, and to other markets where Waymo runs a service, is planned for the following years.
The plan builds on a preliminary agreement announced in April 2025. The companies describe the partnership as a milestone in expanding Japan's first fully autonomous ride-hailing service to use high-volume vehicles made in the country. The 2027 work is testing and validation. No fleet size, operating city or date for paying passengers was given.
Built at Takaoka
Toyota will build the vehicles at its Takaoka plant in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture. The base vehicle will be assembled, and Waymo's autonomous-vehicle hardware fitted, under the same roof. The aim is to scale safety-validated Level 4 vehicles, using Toyota's manufacturing and Waymo's autonomous technology, to cut crashes caused by human error and to help people who cannot easily get around.
The version prepared for passengers has extra rear legroom, automatic doors, a power liftgate and ambient lighting, so that getting in and out is easier.
The two companies
Dmitri Dolgov, co-CEO of Waymo, said: "Toyota's commitment to zero traffic accidents resonates deeply with us at Waymo, and we're proud to work together toward safer roads for all. In areas where Waymo operates, we've demonstrated that we are up to 20x safer than human drivers when it comes to serious crash injuries, and our partnership with Toyota will help us bring the safety and convenience of autonomous driving to more people around the world, including key international markets like Japan. We chose Toyota because of our respect for the legendary safety, reliability, and quality of their vehicles, and we look forward to deepening our collaboration as we scale our fully autonomous Waymo Driver technology globally."
Hiroki Nakajima, a member of the board of directors and executive vice president of Toyota, said: "We are deeply grateful that Waymo, which helped pioneer fully autonomous driving technology, has chosen Toyota as its partner. Safety technology makes the biggest difference when it reaches as many people as possible. This collaboration will help scale that technology and bring it to customers in Japan and beyond through Waymo's ride-hailing service, and in parallel, Toyota will continue to explore how integrating vehicles with traffic infrastructure can make those roads safer still. 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."
Toyota and Waymo will keep looking at autonomous technology for privately owned Toyota vehicles. With Woven by Toyota, they will also look at further work to reduce road crashes, including whether Waymo's operations, data and technology could make roads safer for other users.