Waymo and Toyota investigate individually owned autonomous vehicles.

      Stephen Edelstein / Digital Trends

      Waymo and Toyota have announced their exploration of a strategic partnership, with one of the most intriguing possibilities being the introduction of fully automated driving technology to privately owned vehicles. Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet, has built its reputation on its robotaxi service, which is the only one functioning in the U.S. Its fleet, which includes Jaguars and Hyundai Ioniq 5s, has accumulated tens of millions of autonomous miles in cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Austin. However, transitioning to personally owned self-driving cars poses a significantly more complicated challenge.

      Although safety regulations are anticipated to ease under the Trump administration, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has so far adopted a cautious stance regarding the rollout of fully autonomous vehicles. In 2023, the Cruise robotaxi service, backed by General Motors, had to halt its operations after a fatal accident.

      The collaboration with Toyota is still in its infancy, but Waymo has indicated it will first investigate ways to integrate its autonomous technology with the consumer vehicle platforms of the Japanese automaker. During a recent call with analysts, Alphabet's CEO Sundar Pichai hinted that Waymo is seriously contemplating moving beyond ride-hailing fleets and into personal vehicle ownership. While nothing has been confirmed, the partnership with Toyota lends credibility and production capability to this vision.

      Toyota brings decades of safety innovation, including its widely recognized Toyota Safety Sense technology. Through its software division, Woven by Toyota, the company is also advancing into next-generation vehicle platforms. In collaboration with Waymo, Toyota is now exploring how automation can progress from assisted driving to full autonomy for consumers.

      This development also intensifies competition for Tesla, which has long claimed it will offer fully self-driving vehicles to the public. While Tesla continues to refine its Full Self-Driving (FSD) software, it remains in a supervised state and has yet to achieve full autonomy. CEO Elon Musk is planning to introduce some of its first robotaxis in Austin by June.

      Waymo and Tesla are pursuing notably different paths in the self-driving car space. Tesla focuses on delivering affordable, scalable solutions through its camera and AI-based software. In contrast, Waymo employs a costlier approach that depends on pre-mapped roads and utilizes sensors, cameras, radar, and lidar (laser-light radar), technologies that regulators have shown greater trust in.

      Nick Godt has covered global business news on three continents for over 25 years.

      Self-driving vehicle regulations are expected to relax under Trump, according to reports.

      Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk stated in October that “the future is autonomous,” shortly after revealing the Cybercab, Tesla’s self-driving robotaxi. It appears Musk, who was recently appointed to head the newly established "Department of Government Efficiency," is sharing his insights with the incoming Trump administration.

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      The much-anticipated three-row electric SUV from Hyundai, the Ioniq 9, will be officially unveiled at the upcoming Los Angeles Auto Show. Designated by Newsweek as one of America's most awaited new vehicles of 2025, the Ioniq 9 recently had its name changed from Ioniq 7 to mark it as Hyundai’s new flagship EV model.

      Waymo and Nexar present AI-based study to protect “vulnerable” road users

      Waymo, the robotaxi operator, has announced that its partnership with Nexar, a machine-learning tech company focused on improving road safety, has produced the largest dataset of its kind in the U.S., which will aid in optimizing the operation of its automated vehicles. In its latest collaboration with Nexar, Waymo has analyzed hundreds of accidents involving what it refers to as ‘vulnerable road users’ (VRUs), which include pedestrians in crosswalks, cyclists on city streets, and high-speed motorcyclists on highways.