Toyota to build Waymo driverless bZ SUVs at Takaoka plant
10/30/2026 — 10/31, 04:19·3 sources (all)·3 reports (all)
Key takeaways
- Toyota will build driverless bZ electric SUVs for Waymo at its Takaoka plant in Japan, with testing to start in Japan in 2027 before a plann…
Background & analysis
On October 30, 2026, Waymo, the autonomous driving company owned by Alphabet, announced a deeper partnership with Toyota to develop a new generation of autonomous taxis built on Toyota's all-electric SUV, the bZ4X. According to the announcement, the vehicle will be specifically designed and modified for Waymo's autonomous driving system, with testing scheduled to begin in Japan in 2027 before gradually expanding to the UK and other international markets.
On October 31, 2026, The Next Web reported on the manufacturing side, noting that Toyota will build driverless versions of its bZ electric SUV for Waymo at its Takaoka plant in Japan, with testing starting in Japan from 2027 and expanding to the UK afterwards. Neither company disclosed how many robotaxis Toyota will produce. Later the same day, Forbes covered the partnership as well, describing the collaboration between Waymo and Toyota on a new robotaxi model, though it offered no additional detail on the specific vehicle, timeline, or rollout scale. The Forbes piece also carried a comment observing that, in an alternate timeline, Tesla might have been the company partnering with Waymo instead.
Taken together, the three reports establish that Waymo and Toyota are moving forward on a new robotaxi built around the bZ4X platform, with vehicle production set for Toyota's Takaoka plant and testing to start in Japan in 2027 before reaching the UK. Exact model details, volumes, and rollout scale remain undisclosed by both parties.
AI-generated from 3 reports · updated 1 day ago
Latest turnForbes reports that Waymo has partnered with Toyota to build a new robotaxi. The piece also argues that, in an alternate history, Tesla could have been the partner instead. Details on the vehicle, timeline and deployment scale were not disclosed.
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Forbes reports that Waymo has partnered with Toyota to build a new robotaxi. The piece also argues that, in an alternate history, Tesla could have been the partner instead. Details on the vehicle, timeline and deployment scale were not disclosed.
Forbes InnovationAI score 57Toyota will build driverless versions of its bZ electric SUV for Waymo at its Takaoka plant in Japan, with testing set to begin in 2027 before expanding to the UK. Neither company disclosed how many robotaxis Toyota will produce.
The Next WebAI score 57
Waymo said it is deepening its partnership with Toyota to develop a next-generation robotaxi based on the bZ4X electric SUV. The vehicle will be designed around Waymo's self-driving system, with testing in Japan planned for 2027 before expansion to the UK and other markets.
cnBetaAI score 54
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