Toyota and Waymo have announced plans to begin testing an autonomous fleet of Toyota b Z4X electric vehicles in Japan in 2027. The partnership follows a preliminary agreement signed in April 2025 to collaborate on robotaxi technology. After Japan, the companies intend to expand deployment to the UK and other right-hand drive markets.
The b Z4X, Toyota's first modern mass-market electric vehicle built on the e-TNGA platform co-developed with Subaru, will be manufactured at Toyota's Takaoka plant in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture. There, the vehicles will be assembled and equipped with Waymo's autonomous 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," the companies said in a statement.
The autonomous b Z4X fleet will join Waymo's existing test vehicles in Japan. Waymo began testing its Jaguar I-PACE self-driving taxis in 2025, using drivers from Tokyo-based Nihon Kotsu Co. to train its software. The company plans to launch a fully autonomous ride-hailing service in Tokyo next year, though the timeline for adding the b Z4X to its commercial fleet remains unclear.
Source: Engadget · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing