Market Chatter: Toyota Motor, Waymo Plan Japan Autonomous Vehicle Tests in 2027

04:10 AM EDT, 10/30/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Toyota Motor (TM) and Alphabet's (GOOGL, GOOG) Waymo will begin testing autonomous electric vehicles in Japan in 2027, with plans to expand into Britain and potentially other markets in subsequent years, Reuters reported Friday. Waymo will use Toyota's bZ4X electric SUVs to expand its autonomous-driving operations, with Toyota manufacturing the vehicles and installing Waymo's hardware at its Takaoka plant in Japan, according to the report. The companies did not disclose the initial fleet size or deployment locations, but Toyota said operations would begin with a small number of bZ4X vehicles. Waymo also plans to conduct a 2027 pilot in Japan using Jaguar I-PACE vehicles, Reuters added. Toyota Motor and Waymo didn't immediately respond to MT Newswires' request for comment. (Market Chatter news is derived from conversations with market professionals globally. This information is believed to be from reliable sources but may include rumor and speculation. Accuracy is not guaranteed.)