Waymo and Toyota plan to begin testing and validating an autonomous Toyota bZ4X fleet in Japan in 2027. The companies also plan to deploy the vehicles in the United Kingdom and other markets served by Waymo in the following years.
The plan advances a preliminary agreement the companies announced in April 2025. Toyota will build the vehicles at its Takaoka plant in Toyota City, Japan. The plant will assemble the base vehicles and integrate Waymo’s autonomous vehicle hardware.
The bZ4X fleet will use Waymo’s fully autonomous technology. The companies say the collaboration is intended to help them produce more safety-validated Level 4 vehicles for ride-hailing services.
Vehicles will have automatic doors and rear legroom
The vehicles will have rear legroom, automatic doors, a power liftgate and ambient lighting. Waymo and Toyota say those features are designed to make the ride more comfortable and help passengers get in and out.
The companies will also continue to explore autonomous driving technology for personally owned Toyota vehicles. With Woven by Toyota, they plan to examine how insights from Waymo’s operations and technology could improve safety for other road users.
The first scheduled step for the bZ4X fleet is initial testing and validation in Japan in 2027. Deployment to the United Kingdom and other Waymo-served markets is planned for the years after that.
