Waymo and Toyota partner on self-driving tech for personal cars
Alphabet-owned Waymo has taken a major step toward expanding its autonomous vehicle ambitions beyond commercial ride-hailing services. On Tuesday, the self-driving technology company announced a preliminary agreement with Toyota to explore the integration of Waymo’s autonomous driving systems into personally-owned vehicles.
The collaboration marks a significant evolution for Waymo, signaling its intent to move beyond robotaxis and into the broader consumer market. The two companies said the goal is to merge Waymo’s cutting-edge self-driving tech with Toyota’s global manufacturing expertise to accelerate the development of next-generation autonomous and driver-assistance features for private vehicle ownership.
In a statement, Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana emphasized the strategic value of the partnership, noting that it could also lead to Toyota vehicles being incorporated into Waymo’s existing ride-hailing fleet. “This is an opportunity to expand the reach of our technology into both personal and shared mobility,” she said.
The move adds Toyota—the world’s largest automaker by sales—to a growing list of Waymo’s automotive partners, which includes Jaguar Land Rover, Stellantis (formerly Fiat Chrysler), Daimler Trucks, Hyundai, and Mercedes-Benz. Many of these partnerships have led to vehicle modifications for autonomous testing or fleet operations.
Waymo’s ride-hailing business has been steadily growing. As of April 2025, the company is delivering 250,000 paid rides per week, up from 200,000 in February. The service currently operates in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Austin, and is expected to launch in Washington, D.C. in 2026.
This pivot toward personal vehicle integration comes amid broader industry shifts. General Motors recently shut down its Cruise robotaxi service to instead prioritize developing autonomous technology for personal use. Toyota, too, has a history of investing in autonomous platforms, including a past stake in Tesla, which it sold in 2017.
Meanwhile, Tesla is positioning itself as a direct competitor to Waymo. CEO Elon Musk recently criticized Waymo’s robotaxi model as too expensive for mass production and claimed Tesla will begin offering fully autonomous ride services in Austin by June using a new “unsupervised” version of its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system. However, Tesla vehicles are still not considered safe to operate without a human driver present and ready to take control.
While Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai admitted that Waymo’s long-term business model remains fluid, he acknowledged in a recent earnings call the “future optionality around personal ownership” of autonomous vehicles as a promising avenue.
As competition heats up and the race to commercialize self-driving technology accelerates, Waymo’s partnership with Toyota could serve as a crucial step toward mainstream adoption—bringing the promise of autonomous driving directly into consumers’ garages.
