Toyota and Waymo Advance Autonomous Driving Collaboration for Safer Streets and Freedom of Movement for All

Toyota and Waymo have announced the next phase of their collaboration to advance autonomous driving technology, aiming to create safer streets and provide freedom of movement for all. The partnership will see Toyota deploy an autonomous Toyota bZ4X fleet in Japan starting in 2027, with expansion to the United Kingdom and other Waymo-serviced markets. This marks a significant milestone in Japan's first fully autonomous ride-hailing service using domestically manufactured vehicles. The collaboration will involve Toyota's global manufacturing and vehicle development expertise combined with Waymo's fully autonomous technology to accelerate the global deployment of safety-validated Level 4 autonomous vehicles.

• Toyota will build the vehicles at its Takaoka plant in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan.
• The entire process will take place under one roof, from assembling the base vehicle to integrating Waymo’s AV hardware.
• The partnership aims to reduce human-error accidents and provide transit that is more accessible and convenient for all.
• Toyota and Waymo will explore additional initiatives to improve road safety, including insights from Waymo’s real-world operations and data-driven intelligence.
• Waymo’s fully autonomous technology is 20x safer than human drivers in serious crash injuries, and the collaboration will help bring this safety to more people globally.

AI-generated summary of the original article — see the source for the full story.