Waymo partners with Toyota to build autonomous bZ4X robotaxis for Japan and UK

Waymo has signed Toyota to supply electric vehicles for its robotaxi operations abroad, a partnership that will put autonomous Toyota bZ4X SUVs on Japanese roads for testing next year ahead of planned services in Japan and other right-hand-drive markets, including the UK. According to TechCrunch, Toyota will manufacture the 2027 model-year bZ4X at its Takaoka factory in Japan and integrate Waymo's self-driving system during production. The vehicle is sold as the BZ in the North American market.

Japan first, the UK in line

The autonomous bZ4X vehicles will be tested in Japan initially, where Waymo intends to eventually operate a robotaxi service. TechCrunch reports that the cars are intended for right-hand-drive countries more broadly, with the UK named as a target market.

Waymo has been testing autonomous Jaguar I-Pace vehicles in London for several months and plans to launch a robotaxi service there once it receives the necessary permits, according to the report.

A supplier arrangement, for now

The announcement comes 18 months after Toyota and Waymo signed a preliminary agreement to explore developing and deploying an autonomous vehicle platform together. At the time, TechCrunch characterized that agreement as deliberately vague, with language loose enough to accommodate almost any outcome.

In its current form, the partnership resembles a straightforward vehicle supply agreement. It helps Waymo meet specific regional requirements — locally built, right-hand-drive EVs for Japan — while adding a new model to a robotaxi portfolio that today relies on the Jaguar I-Pace and other platforms.

Ambitions beyond ride-hailing

The companies have signaled that the deal could grow. They said they will continue to explore bringing Waymo's autonomous technology to personally owned Toyota vehicles, which would extend the system beyond commercial fleets.

Toyota and Waymo also plan further joint initiatives that draw on insights from Waymo's real-world operations to improve safety for other road users. Details remain undefined, but Hiroki Nakajima, Toyota's executive vice president and a board member, pointed in a statement to work on connecting cars with traffic infrastructure. "Toyota will continue to explore how integrating vehicles with traffic infrastructure can make those roads safer still," he said.

Why it matters

The partnership gives Waymo a credible industrial route into markets it has so far only tested in, or not entered at all. Japan is new territory for its service, and locally manufactured Toyotas — with the brand familiarity and service infrastructure that implies — remove one of the biggest practical barriers to operating there.

The structure of the deal is also telling. Rather than retrofitting imported vehicles, Waymo gets its autonomy stack installed on the factory line, a sign that autonomous vehicle deployment is maturing from bespoke pilot projects into something closer to ordinary automotive manufacturing.

Finally, the reference to personally owned Toyotas hints at a much larger prize. Waymo's technology has so far lived in commercial ride-hailing fleets; if it reaches consumer vehicles through one of the world's largest automakers, it would mark a significant shift in how autonomous driving reaches the public.