# Toyota Will Build Waymo Robotaxis on Its Own Line, Starting With a bZ4X Test Fleet in Japan in 2027 and the UK Later

Times of AI Desk · 2026-10-31 · Industry

[https://timesof.ai/2026/10/waymo-toyota-bz4x-robotaxis-japan-2027-uk](https://timesof.ai/2026/10/waymo-toyota-bz4x-robotaxis-japan-2027-uk)

> Toyota and Waymo said on October 30 that they will begin testing and validating a fleet of autonomous Toyota bZ4X vehicles in Japan in 2027, with deployment to the UK and other Waymo markets planned for later years. Toyota will assemble the cars and install Waymo's driving hardware at its Takaoka plant. Waymo co-CEO Dmitri Dolgov told Reuters the companies will start with right-hand-drive markets. Neither company disclosed fleet size or locations.

The detail that matters in Toyota's new deal with Waymo is where the cars will be made. Toyota will assemble autonomous bZ4X vehicles and install Waymo's self-driving hardware at the same site, its Takaoka plant in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, so the robotaxi is built and fitted in one place rather than converted afterwards. The companies said on **October 30** that they will begin initial operations to test and validate a bZ4X fleet in Japan in **2027**, with deployment to the **UK** and other Waymo markets planned for the years after.

## What was agreed

The announcement builds on a preliminary agreement from April 2025 to explore working together on an autonomous vehicle platform. Toyota says the whole process, from assembling the base vehicle to integrating Waymo's hardware, will take place under one roof. Toyota says the ride-hailing bZ4X is designed with generous rear legroom, automatic doors and a power liftgate.

"We'll start with the right-hand drive markets in Japan and the UK," Waymo co-CEO **Dmitri Dolgov** told Reuters, adding that the companies have no other countries, timelines or specifics to share. Toyota's chief technology officer, **Hiroki Nakajima**, said Toyota also makes left-hand-drive vehicles, including the bZ4X, and wants experience in Japan before pursuing broader opportunities, Reuters reported. Nakajima said initial operations will involve a small number of vehicles; the companies did not say how many or where in Japan.

Waymo is separately testing Jaguar I-PACE vehicles in Japan and still plans a pilot with them in 2027, Dolgov told Reuters.

## Beyond robotaxis

Toyota and Waymo said they will keep exploring autonomous driving for personally owned Toyota vehicles, and, with Woven by Toyota, ways Waymo's operating data could improve safety for other road users. Dolgov said in the joint release that Waymo is "up to 20x safer than human drivers when it comes to serious crash injuries" in areas where it operates; that is Waymo's own figure.

Other automakers are also aiming for 2027 driverless services in Asia: in China, [Xpeng has said it aims to carry passengers without safety drivers in 2027](https://timesof.ai/2026/10/china-xpeng-l4-robotaxi-guangzhou-vw-l3-hefei-approvals).

## Limits

- 2027 is the start of test and validation operations in Japan, not a commercial launch date; the companies did not give a date for paid rides.
- The UK and other markets are planned for "the following years," with no dates.
- Toyota describes the service as Japan's first fully autonomous ride-hailing service using high-volume, domestically manufactured vehicles; that is the company's characterization.

## Sources

- [Toyota: Toyota and Waymo Advance Autonomous Driving Collaboration for Safer Streets and Freedom of Movement for All (October 30, 2026)](https://global.toyota/en/newsroom/corporate/44960881.html)
- [Reuters via StreetInsider: Toyota, Waymo to test autonomous bZ4Xs in Japan in 2027, eye overseas expansion (October 30, 2026)](https://www.streetinsider.com/Reuters/Toyota%2C+Waymo+to+test+autonomous+bZ4Xs+in+Japan+in+2027%2C+eye+overseas+expansion/27259901.html)