Waymo, Alphabet’s autonomous vehicle company, and Toyota have initiated a preliminary collaboration to assess whether and how Waymo’s self-driving technology could be integrated into privately owned Toyota vehicles. The companies have not provided any specific results or timelines for the project at this stage.
The talks also cover the potential use of Toyota vehicles within Waymo’s existing robotaxi fleet, with support from Woven by Toyota, the automaker’s software division.
Toyota highlights its background in developing driver assistance systems such as Toyota Safety Sense, while Waymo currently operates driverless taxis in several U.S. cities, including San Francisco and Phoenix. According to the company, around 250,000 rides are completed each week. Internal data reportedly indicates that Waymo vehicles are involved in injury-related accidents less frequently than vehicles driven by humans.
Waymo maintains partnerships with multiple automakers
Waymo’s history of collaborations includes automakers such as Jaguar Land Rover, Fiat Chrysler, Daimler Trucks, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz, and Geely. In most cases, the automakers provided vehicles that Waymo then modified for use in testing or fleet operations. A similar arrangement could emerge with Toyota, this time potentially with an emphasis on private vehicle integration.
As part of the ongoing discussions, the use of Toyota vehicles in Waymo’s ride-hailing fleet is also being considered. Existing arrangements with Hyundai and Geely are expected to continue unaffected.
