Toyota and Waymo Plan Autonomous bZ4X Testing in Japan in 2027, With UK Expansion Later

Toyota and Waymo announced on Friday, October 30, that they intend to begin testing autonomous versions of Toyota's electric bZ4X vehicle in Japan in 2027. The companies also described plans to expand into the United Kingdom in later years, while leaving the scale and precise timing of a broader international rollout unspecified.

The announcement advances a collaboration first outlined in April 2025. It identifies a specific electric vehicle model and a manufacturing arrangement rather than only an exploratory agreement. Toyota is expected to assemble the bZ4X vehicles at its Takaoka plant in Aichi Prefecture and integrate Waymo's autonomous-driving hardware there.

The partners have not disclosed the number of vehicles in the initial test fleet or the locations of all planned operations. Toyota executive Hiroki Nakajima said the initial phase would involve a small number of vehicles, according to Reuters reporting. Testing and validation are not equivalent to an unrestricted commercial launch, and any public ride-hailing deployment will depend on regulatory approvals and operational readiness.

Waymo co-chief executive Dmitri Dolgov said the companies would initially focus on right-hand-drive markets, including Japan and Britain. The partners have not provided a firm schedule or named additional countries beyond those initial markets.

Toyota's bZ4X is a battery-electric vehicle, making it a different platform from the Jaguar I-PACE cars that Waymo has used in Japanese road-data collection and testing. Waymo is separately working with Japanese transport partners on a Tokyo autonomous taxi service, but that existing initiative should not be confused with the newly specified Toyota vehicle-testing programme.

The new arrangement combines Toyota's vehicle manufacturing capabilities with Waymo's automated-driving software and sensors. The companies have also said they will continue exploring whether their work can inform safety systems for privately owned Toyota vehicles. Those possibilities remain under development rather than confirmed product launches.

The October announcement establishes a proposed testing timetable and a manufacturing plan. It does not establish that the vehicles have already begun operating without human drivers in Japan, that commercial service has been approved, or that deployment in other countries is guaranteed.