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.
The two companies will also continue to explore autonomous technology for privately owned Toyotas, as they work to scale Level 4 autonomous vehicles 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.