Toyota, Waymo consider joint development of self-driving passenger vehicles

Waymo robotaxis operate in Austin and other cities, and it is looking at personally owned vehicles with Toyota. Source: Waymo

Toyota Motor Corp. and Waymo LLC this week said they have agreed to explore a collaboration focusing on accelerating the development and deployment of autonomous vehicle technologies. Woven by Toyota Inc., the mobility software division of Toyota, will also participate.

“Waymo’s mission is to be the world’s most trusted driver,” stated Tekedra Mawakana, co-CEO of Waymo. “This requires global partners like Toyota that share our commitment to improving road safety and expanding accessible transportation.

“We look forward to exploring this strategic partnership, incorporating their vehicles into our ride-hailing fleet and bringing the magic of Waymo’s autonomous driving technology to Toyota customers,” she added.

Waymo looks ahead to personally owned AVs

Waymo said it is building a generalizable driver that can be applied to a variety of vehicle platforms and businesses over time. The Mountain View, Calif.-based company noted that its strategic partnership with Toyota will enable it to start exploring how to incorporate elements of its autonomy technology to personally owned vehicles (POVs), beyond the robotic taxicab fleets currently in operation.

Waymo said it now serves more than 250,000 trips on public roads each week across the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Austin. With tens of millions of miles traveled, the company claimed that its autonomous vehicles (AVs) are involved in 81% fewer injury-causing crashes compared to a human benchmark.

Waymo has used Jaguar and Lexus vehicles for its fleet, and the Google spinoff said future AVs could include both robotaxis and POVs. Lexus is a Toyota brand.

Waymo has expanded testing of its robotaxis to Atlanta, Tokyo, and Washington, D.C. It won the 2025 RBR50 Robot of the Year award for its achievements and was recognized at the RBR50 Gala at this week’s Robotics Summit & Expo.

Toyota focuses on safety, accessibility

Waymo and Toyota said their potential partnership “is built on a shared vision of improving road safety and delivering increased mobility for all.” The companies said they will explore combining their respective strengths to develop a new AV platform for next-generation POVs.

Toyota cited its vehicle expertise, including support for research and development toward its vision of zero traffic accidents. The Tokyo-based automaker said it is guided by a three-pillar approach that integrates people, vehicles, and traffic infrastructure.

The company has developed and deployed Toyota Safety Sense (TSS), which it described as “a proprietary suite of advanced safety technologies.” Toyota said TSS reflects its goal of making impactful technologies widely accessible.

Toyota and Waymo said their collaboration is intended to accelerate the development and adoption of advanced driver-assist systems (ADAS) and AV capabilities.

“Toyota is committed to realizing a society with zero traffic accidents and becoming a mobility company that delivers mobility for all,” said Hiroki Nakajima, an executive vice president and member of Toyota’s board.

” We share a strong sense of purpose and a common vision with Waymo in advancing safety through automated driving technology,” he said. “We are confident this collaboration can help bring our solutions to more people around the world, moving us one step closer to a zero-accident society. Our companies are taking an important step toward a future with greater safety and peace of mind for all.”

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