Toyota and Waymo plan to test autonomous bZ4X vehicles in Japan in 2027.
Toyota and Waymo plan to test autonomous bZ4X electric vehicles in Japan before expanding to the UK and other right-hand drive markets.
Toyota robotaxis will begin testing in Japan in 2027 under the automaker’s partnership with autonomous driving company Waymo. The companies plan to use a fleet of bZ4X electric vehicles.
After Japan, they intend to deploy the vehicles in the UK and other right-hand drive markets. That expansion would follow in subsequent years.
The announcement builds on a preliminary robotaxi agreement that Toyota and Waymo reached in April 2025. Their partnership combines Toyota’s vehicle development and manufacturing expertise with Waymo’s autonomous driving technology.
In a joint statement, the companies said their goal was to expand safety-validated Level 4 autonomous vehicles globally.
Toyota robotaxis to take shape at Takaoka plant
Toyota will manufacture the bZ4X test vehicles at its Takaoka plant in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture. The automaker will also equip them with Waymo’s autonomous driving hardware at the facility.
The bZ4X is Toyota’s first modern mass-market electric vehicle. It uses the e-TNGA platform, which Toyota developed with Subaru.
Meanwhile, the new fleet will join Waymo’s existing vehicles in Japan. Waymo began testing its Jaguar I-PACE self-driving taxis there in 2025.
As part of that effort, drivers from Tokyo taxi operator Nihon Kotsu Co. drove the vehicles around the capital. Those journeys helped train Waymo’s software for the Japanese market.
Building on that testing, Waymo plans to launch a fully autonomous ride-hailing service in Tokyo next year.
