Google母公司Alphabet旗下自动驾驶公司Waymo宣布，将与丰田汽车进一步深化合作，推出以丰田纯电动SUV bZ4X为基础的新一代自动驾驶出租车。这款车型将专门针对Waymo的自动驾驶系统进行设计和改造，计划于2027年首先在日本开展测试，随后逐步进入英国及其他国际市场。
此次合作标志着Waymo正在扩大自动驾驶出租车的车型选择，不再局限于此前主要使用的捷豹I-Pace等车型。丰田则将借助Waymo成熟的自动驾驶技术，探索自动驾驶出行服务的商业化，并进一步积累相关技术经验。
与过去将普通量产汽车改装成自动驾驶出租车的方式不同，此次合作的一大特点是直接在汽车生产线上集成自动驾驶设备。
根据双方公布的计划，丰田将在日本爱知县丰田市的高冈工厂生产这些车辆，并在同一工厂内完成Waymo自动驾驶硬件的安装。从基础车辆制造到自动驾驶系统集成，整个过程都将在同一生产设施内完成。
这种生产方式有望减少车辆下线后再进行拆解、改装和重新组装的工作量，同时降低人工成本、物流成本以及后期维护的复杂程度。对于需要大规模部署的自动驾驶出租车业务而言，制造流程的标准化尤其重要。
车辆将搭载Waymo Driver自动驾驶系统，包括摄像头、激光雷达、毫米波雷达以及车载计算设备等。Waymo并未公布这款丰田bZ4X具体采用第几代自动驾驶硬件，也没有披露传感器数量和完整技术参数。
在乘客体验方面，专门改造的bZ4X将针对无人驾驶出租车的使用场景进行调整。车辆将提供更加宽敞的后排腿部空间，并配备自动车门、电动尾门以及氛围照明等设施，让乘客上下车更加方便。
对于老年人、行动不便人士以及需要携带行李的乘客而言，这些设计具有实际意义。自动驾驶出租车不仅需要解决车辆如何安全行驶的问题，也需要重新考虑乘客如何进入车辆、如何放置行李以及如何在没有驾驶员协助的情况下完成整个乘车过程。
按照双方公布的时间表，2027年将首先在日本开展小规模测试和验证工作。Waymo希望利用日本的实际道路环境，验证车辆及自动驾驶系统在当地交通规则、道路标识和驾驶习惯下的适应能力。
英国则是双方计划拓展的另一个重要市场。由于日本和英国均采用左侧通行、右舵驾驶体系，Waymo可以在两个市场之间积累部分具有共通性的技术和运营经验。不过，进入英国市场仍需要针对当地道路环境和监管要求进行相应验证。
丰田与Waymo还计划继续研究将Waymo自动驾驶技术应用于私人乘用车的可能性。这意味着双方合作的范围并不一定局限于无人驾驶出租车，未来也可能涉及普通消费者购买的丰田汽车。
此外，丰田旗下的软件和移动出行子公司Woven by Toyota也将参与相关合作，双方希望利用Waymo在真实道路运营中积累的数据，研究如何改善车辆和道路基础设施的整体安全性。
此次合作建立在双方2025年4月公布的初步合作协议之上。当时，两家公司表示将探索共同开发自动驾驶汽车平台的可能性。经过进一步磋商，合作方向逐渐明确，丰田将成为Waymo国际市场扩张的重要车辆供应商之一。
值得注意的是，Waymo目前已经拥有多种不同来源的自动驾驶车辆。除了捷豹I-Pace，还包括与中国吉利旗下极氪合作开发的Ojai无人驾驶小型客车，以及计划采用现代汽车Ioniq 5的车型。
其中，Ojai采用极氪SEA-M架构，专门针对无人驾驶出租车需求开发，已经开始向部分用户提供乘车服务。Waymo希望通过不同车型搭载统一的第六代自动驾驶系统，降低对单一汽车制造商的依赖。
这也体现出Waymo正在从技术研发阶段转向规模化商业运营阶段。对于自动驾驶出租车企业而言，真正的挑战已经不只是让汽车能够自主行驶，还包括如何降低车辆采购和改装成本、提高车队利用率，以及建立能够支撑数万辆汽车运营的制造和维护体系。
丰田拥有成熟的汽车制造体系、全球供应链以及长期积累的车辆可靠性经验，而Waymo则掌握已经投入商业运营的L4级自动驾驶技术。双方合作的核心，就是将汽车大规模制造能力与自动驾驶系统结合起来。
目前，双方尚未公布首批bZ4X自动驾驶出租车的具体数量，也没有披露日本商业运营的确切启动日期。2027年的工作重点仍然是测试和验证，而不是立即在全国范围内提供无人驾驶出租车服务。
从更长远的角度来看，这项合作可能成为Waymo进军日本和英国市场的重要基础。与此同时，丰田也有机会通过实际运营数据，探索自动驾驶技术在私人乘用车和公共出行服务中的应用。
Waymo正在寻找能够支持全球扩张的汽车制造伙伴，而丰田则希望通过合作加快自动驾驶技术的商业化。此次以bZ4X为基础的新车型，正是双方将自动驾驶研发与传统汽车工业制造体系进一步结合的一次尝试。
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The Google parent company Alphabet, the autopilot company Waymo, announced that it would further deepen its cooperation with Toyota vehicles in the introduction of a new-generation autopilot taxi based on Toyota ' s pure electric SUV bZ4X. The model, which will be designed and adapted specifically for an automatic driving system at Waymo, is planned to be tested first in Japan in 2027 and then gradually into the United Kingdom and other international markets.
This cooperation marked the expansion of the auto-driving taxi model by Waymo, which was no longer limited to the previously dominant Jaguar I-Pace model. Toyota, for its part, will use Waymo ' s mature auto-driving technology to explore the commercialization of auto-driving services and further develop relevant technical experience.
Unlike the way in which cars of common mass have been converted into automatic taxis in the past, a major feature of this cooperation was the integration of automatic driving equipment directly on the vehicle production line.
In accordance with the plans announced by both parties, Toyota will produce the vehicles at the Takaoka factory in Toyota, Aichi county, Japan, and complete the installation of the Waymo auto-pilot hardware at the same plant. From base vehicle construction to auto-driving system integration, the entire process will be completed in the same production facility.
This method of production is expected to reduce the amount of work to be carried out before the dismantling, retrofitting and reassembly of vehicles, while reducing labour costs, logistics costs and the complexity of post-production maintenance. The standardization of manufacturing processes is particularly important for auto-driving taxi operations requiring large-scale deployment.
The vehicle will carry the Waymo Driver auto-pilot system, including cameras, laser radar, millimetre wave radar and vehicle-mounted computing equipment. Waymo did not disclose the specific use of Toyota bZ4X for several generations of automatic driving hardware, nor did it disclose the number of sensors and complete technical parameters.
In terms of passenger experience, the specially adapted bZ4X will be adapted to the use of unmanned taxis. The vehicle will provide more spacious rear leg space, equipped with automatic doors, electric tail doors and air lighting to make it easier for passengers to get up and out of the vehicle.
These designs are relevant for the elderly, people with mobility difficulties and passengers who need to carry luggage. Auto-driving taxis need to address not only how the vehicle will operate safely, but also to reconsider how passengers will enter the vehicle, how to place their luggage and how to complete the whole process without the assistance of the driver.
In accordance with the timetable announced by both parties, small-scale testing and validation will begin in Japan in 2027. Waymo hopes to use the physical road environment in Japan to validate the adaptive capacity of vehicles and self-driving systems under local traffic rules, road signs and driving habits.
The UK is another important market where both sides plan to expand. As both Japan and the United Kingdom have adopted a left-hand system of right-rudder driving, Waymo can accumulate some of its common technology and operational experience between the two markets. However, access to the United Kingdom market still requires a corresponding validation of local road environment and regulatory requirements.
Toyota and Waymo also plan to continue to study the possibility of applying the Waymo auto-pilot technology to private passenger vehicles. This means that the scope of cooperation is not necessarily limited to unmanned taxis, but may also involve Toyota cars purchased by ordinary consumers in the future.
In addition, Toyota ' s software and mobile travel subsidiary, Woven by Toyota, will be involved in the cooperation and both sides wish to study ways to improve the overall safety of vehicles and road infrastructure, using the data accumulated by Waymo in real road operations.
This cooperation was based on the preliminary cooperation agreement announced by the parties in April 2025. At that time, the two companies indicated that they would explore the possibility of jointly developing auto-driving platforms. As a result of further consultations, the direction of cooperation has gradually become clear, Toyota will be one of the major vehicle suppliers for the expansion of the Wayne international market.
It is worth noting that Waymo now has auto-driving vehicles from many different sources. In addition to Jaguar I-Pace, there are Ojai unmanned minibuses developed in cooperation with the Gigi-Kryptons in China, as well as plans to adopt the Ioniq 5 model of a modern vehicle.
Of these, Ojai, using the polar kryptonium SEEA-M structure, has been developing a specific demand for unmanned taxis and has begun to provide some of its users with a car service. Waymo hopes to reduce reliance on a single car manufacturer through a single, sixth-generation auto-driving system with different models.
This also reflects the shift of Waymo from the technology research and development phase to the scale-up business operations phase. The real challenge for the auto-driving taxi business is not just to enable cars to move autonomously, but also to reduce the cost of purchasing and retrofitting vehicles, increase fleet utilization and establish a manufacturing and maintenance system that will support the operation of tens of thousands of vehicles.
Toyota has a mature car manufacturing system, a global supply chain and long-standing experience with vehicle reliability, while Waymo has a L4-level self-driving technology that has been put into commercial operation. At the heart of the cooperation is the integration of large-scale vehicle manufacturing capabilities with automatic driving systems.
Currently, the parties have not published the exact number of the first bZ4X auto-driving taxis or the exact start date of Japanese commercial operations. In 2027, emphasis will continue to be placed on testing and certification, rather than the immediate provision of unmanned taxi services throughout the country.
In the longer term, this cooperation could become an important basis for the Waymo's entry into the Japanese and British markets. At the same time, Toyota has the opportunity to explore, through operational data, the application of automatic driving techniques in private passenger vehicles and public travel services.
Waymo is looking for a car manufacturing partner who can support global expansion, while Toyota wants to work together to accelerate the commercialization of automatic driving technologies. This new model, based on bZ4X, is an attempt by both sides to further integrate self-driving R & D with the traditional automotive industry manufacturing system.
Auto-fetched and translated by AI Gem Box. All rights belong to the original author.