Toyota Motor Corporation and Waymo have announced the next phase of their autonomous driving partnership, with plans to begin testing and validating a fleet of autonomous Toyota bZ4X vehicles in Japan in 2027. The vehicles will be assembled at Toyota’s Takaoka plant in Toyota City, where Waymo’s autonomous driving hardware will be integrated as part of the production process.
The collaboration aims to support the development of Japan’s first domestically manufactured fully autonomous ride hailing service. The companies also plan to explore deployment in the United Kingdom and other markets served by Waymo in subsequent years.
The custom bZ4X vehicles will use Waymo’s Level 4 autonomous-driving technology. Toyota says the vehicles will be designed with passenger comfort and accessibility in mind, including automatic doors, a power liftgate and generous rear seat space. Toyota and Waymo first announced a preliminary agreement in April 2025, and this new announcement marks a move towards vehicle production and fleet validation.
