Toyota and Waymo Plan bZ4X Robotaxi Tests in Japan in 2027
Toyota and Waymo say they will test autonomous bZ4X vehicles in Japan in 2027, with Toyota building the fleet and integrating Waymo hardware at its Takaoka factory; UK expansion is planned for later years.
By RobotPulse Newsroom ·
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Toyota and Waymo plan to begin testing a fleet of autonomous Toyota bZ4X vehicles in Japan in 2027, advancing their relationship beyond an exploratory agreement. Toyota will assemble the vehicles and integrate Waymo’s autonomous-driving hardware at the same factory in Japan, according to the companies’ announcement.
What happened
The companies announced the next phase of their autonomous-driving collaboration on October 30. Their first step is initial operations in Japan to test and validate a fleet of bZ4X electric vehicles. Toyota says the vehicles will be built at its Takaoka plant in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, with the process covering both assembly of the base vehicle and integration of Waymo’s hardware at one site (Toyota Motor Corporation; Waymo).
The announcement describes later deployment in the United Kingdom and other markets where Waymo operates, but does not give those markets a date. Waymo told TechCrunch that it intends to eventually operate a robotaxi service in Japan. The companies have not announced when public rides might begin or how many vehicles will be involved (TechCrunch; Reuters).
Toyota says its custom-outfitted bZ4X is designed with rider comfort and accessibility in mind. Listed features include generous rear legroom, automatic doors, a power liftgate, and ambient lighting. Separately, the two companies say they will continue exploring whether Waymo’s technology could be used in personally owned Toyota vehicles.
Why it matters
The announcement turns a preliminary agreement from April 2025 into a defined vehicle and manufacturing plan. Rather than naming only a software partnership, Toyota and Waymo say the vehicle build and autonomous hardware installation will happen at Toyota’s Takaoka factory. That gives the collaboration a specific production path to test before the companies discuss broader deployment.
For Waymo, a Toyota-built electric vehicle adds another model to its robotaxi plans and is aimed first at Japan, with the United Kingdom and other Waymo-serviced markets mentioned as later destinations. Toyota and Waymo present the partnership as a step toward Japan’s first fully autonomous ride-hailing service using domestically manufactured vehicles. That is a future objective, not a service already available to riders. The companies describe their technology as Level 4 autonomy, which means the vehicle is intended to drive itself within its operating conditions.
What to watch next
The near-term milestone is whether testing and validation begin on schedule in 2027. The companies have not named a Japanese test location, fleet size, or public service launch date, so those details will clarify the scale of the program.
The UK and other-market plans are described as following in later years, without a specific schedule. The companies have also said they will explore personally owned Toyota vehicles and other safety initiatives, but those workstreams remain exploratory rather than confirmed product launches. For now, the headline is a concrete Japan test plan and a factory integration commitment, not a finished robotaxi rollout.