Toyota (TM.US) partners with Waymo under Alphabet (GOOGL.US) to test autonomous electric vehicles in Japan in 2027

Zhitong Finance APP reports that Toyota (TM.US) and Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet (GOOGL.US), announced on Friday that they will begin testing autonomous electric vehicles in Japan starting in 2027, with plans to subsequently deploy in the UK and other potential markets.

Waymo co-CEO Dmitri Dolgov stated that Waymo will use its partnership with Toyota and the Toyota bZ4X model to push its autonomous driving technology toward large-scale commercial operations. “We will start with right-hand drive markets like Japan and the UK,” Dolgov said. “I believe the vision and strategic cooperation will expand to more markets, but there are currently no other specific countries, timelines, or details to share.”

Toyota Chief Technology Officer Hiroki Nakajima said that Toyota also produces left-hand drive vehicles, including the bZ4X, and hopes to accumulate experience in Japan before pursuing broader opportunities.

Toyota will manufacture these vehicles at its Takaoka plant in central Japan, where Waymo’s autonomous driving hardware will also be installed. Dolgov noted that Waymo is currently testing Jaguar I-PACE vehicles in Japan and still plans to launch pilot projects with these vehicles in 2027.

The two companies did not disclose how many bZ4X vehicles will be deployed initially, nor did they reveal in which regions of Japan the vehicles will operate. Nakajima said the initial operation will involve only a small number of vehicles.

Toyota and Waymo originally announced in April 2025 that they would explore a partnership to develop a new autonomous driving vehicle platform.