and announced the next phase of their partnership. Initial operations to test and validate an autonomous fleet in Japan begin in 2027, with deployment in the United Kingdom and other markets planned in later years.
will build the vehicles at its Takaoka plant, from assembling the base vehicle to integrating 's hardware. The companies call it the basis for Japan's first fully autonomous ride-hailing service with domestically made vehicles.
The announcement sets a plan, not a launch date for paying riders. Some outlets describe it as building self-driving cars, but the stated vehicle is a robotaxi using 's system.
Source: global.toyotaSource: automotiveworld.com
Limits
Testing and validation start in 2027; commercial service and fleet size are not stated.