Toyota and Waymo have announced the next phase of their autonomous driving collaboration.

Building on the preliminary agreement announced in April 2025, Toyota and Waymo will begin initial operations to test and validate an autonomous Toyota bZ4X fleet in Japan in 2027, with deployment to the United Kingdom and other Waymo-serviced markets planned for the following years.

The companies say the partnership marks a major milestone in the expansion of Japan’s first fully autonomous ride-hailing service using high-volume, domestically manufactured vehicles.

Toyota will build the vehicles at its Takaoka plant in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. The entire process will take place under one roof, from assembling the base vehicle to integrating Waymo’s AV hardware.

By pairing Toyota’s global manufacturing and vehicle development expertise with Waymo’s fully autonomous technology, the companies say they will accelerate scaling safety-validated Level 4 autonomous vehicles globally – helping provide people with transit that reduces human-error accidents and opening up freedom of movement for those who can’t easily get around.

Beyond safety, the custom-outfitted bZ4X is designed for comfort and greater accessibility. Generous rear legroom and features such as automatic doors, a power liftgate and ambient lighting will provide seamless entry and exit for riders.

Toyota and Waymo will continue to explore the future of autonomous driving technology for personally owned Toyota vehicles. Alongside Woven by Toyota, they will also explore additional initiatives that support their shared goal of fewer road safety incidents, including how insights from Waymo’s real-world operations, data-driven intelligence, and technology could holistically improve safety for other road users. 

Dmitri Dolgov,co-CEO of Waymo, said: “Toyota’s commitment to zero traffic accidents resonates deeply with us at Waymo, and we’re proud to work together toward safer roads for all. In areas where Waymo operates, we’ve demonstrated that we are up to 20x safer than human drivers when it comes to serious crash injuries, and our partnership with Toyota will help us bring the safety and convenience of autonomous driving to more people around the world, including key international markets like Japan. We chose Toyota because of our respect for the legendary safety, reliability, and quality of their vehicles, and we look forward to deepening our collaboration as we scale our fully autonomous Waymo Driver technology globally.” 

Hiroki Nakajima, member of the board of directors and executive vice president of Toyota, said: “We are deeply grateful that Waymo, which helped pioneer fully autonomous driving technology, has chosen Toyota as its partner. Safety technology makes the biggest difference when it reaches as many people as possible. This collaboration will help scale that technology and bring it to customers in Japan and beyond through Waymo’s ride-hailing service, and in parallel, Toyota will continue to explore how integrating vehicles with traffic infrastructure can make those roads safer still. No single company can achieve the goal of zero traffic accidents alone, but with partners like Waymo, we will get there one step at a time.”