Toyota and Waymo are expanding their autonomous vehicle partnership, with the two companies set to begin testing and validating a fleet of autonomous, fully electric Toyota bZ4X models in Japan from next year.
Japan-built autonomous bZ4X fleet to join Waymo in new markets
The vehicles will be built at Toyota’s Takaoka plant in Japan, with the entire process, from assembling the base vehicle to integrating Waymo’s autonomous hardware, taking place under one roof. Using high-volume, domestically manufactured vehicles is a significant step for what could become Japan’s first fully autonomous ride-hailing service.
Following testing in Japan, the plan is to bring the autonomous bZ4X to Waymo fleets in other markets, including the UK, where the firm already began operating a fleet of autonomous Jaguar I-Paces in London earlier this year. The two companies will also continue to explore autonomous technology for privately owned Toyotas, as they work to scale Level 4 autonomous vehicles globally.
Dmitri Dolgov, Co-CEO of Waymo, commented:
“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, added:
“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.”
