Waymo and Toyota to Test bZ4X Robotaxis in Japan in 2027

Toyota and Waymo have announced a new step in their joint robotaxi effort, following the preliminary agreement the two companies reached in April 2025. According to the companies, an autonomous fleet of electric Toyota bZ4X vehicles will begin testing in Japan at some point in 2027. No exact start date has been shared.

The plan will not stop at Japan. The two companies intend to take the same vehicles to other right-hand-drive markets such as the UK in the years that follow, though no detailed timeline has been given for those markets.

Why the bZ4X, and where the vehicles will be built

The bZ4X is described as Toyota's first modern mass-market electric model, built on the e-TNGA platform the company developed together with Subaru. Toyota will manufacture the vehicles that are tested and deployed under the partnership with Waymo.

Production will take place at the Takaoka plant in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture. The same facility is where the vehicles will be assembled and fitted with Waymo's autonomous driving hardware, so both the manufacturing and the installation of the self-driving equipment will happen under one roof.

The arrangement also shows how the roles are divided in the partnership: Toyota handles vehicle production, while Waymo supplies the autonomous driving hardware.

A push to scale Level 4 autonomy

In their joint statement, the companies said they would combine Toyota's global manufacturing and vehicle development expertise with Waymo's fully autonomous technology. The stated goal is to accelerate the global scaling of safety-validated Level 4 autonomous vehicles.

That wording suggests the partnership is aimed at worldwide rollout rather than isolated test cars. The announcement, however, gives no concrete figures for vehicle numbers or regions.

Waymo's existing work in Japan

The bZ4X fleet will join Waymo's other vehicles in Japan. In 2025, the company began testing its Jaguar I-PACE driverless taxis in the country. Drivers from Tokyo-based taxi operator Nihon Kotsu Co. drove those vehicles around the capital's streets to help train Waymo's software.

As a result of that work, Waymo is expected to launch a fully autonomous ride-hailing service in Tokyo next year. It is not yet clear when the bZ4X vehicles will be added to that commercial fleet. All that is known for now is that bZ4X testing will start in 2027, and no separate date has been given for commercial service. It therefore seems likely that the first Tokyo service will launch with Jaguar I-PACE vehicles, with the bZ4X joining later.