Waymo announced on May 28 the launch of the Ojai, its first model custom-designed for Robotaxi operations, developed in collaboration with Geely-owned Zeekr, a partnership dating back to 2021. The Ojai is a four-seat electric van with a design resembling a commuter shuttle, completed in Sweden and built on a pure EV skateboard chassis; the electric chassis is exported from China to the U.S., where Waymo, together with Magna International, completes final assembly at the Mesa, Arizona plant, integrating Waymo’s latest generation autonomous driving system. The vehicle contains no Chinese-connected technologies to comply with relevant U.S. Department of Commerce regulations. The vehicles will first be offered to specific users in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix for a free trial experience to gather feedback before gradually expanding to more cities; the Mesa plant’s annual production capacity is planned to gradually increase to tens of thousands of units.
Previously, Waymo had been using modified mass-produced passenger vehicles (such as the Jaguar I-PACE and Honda Odyssey) to build its fleet. The Ojai marks a shift from “retrofitting consumer cars” to “purpose-built commercial vehicles,” aiming to reduce operating costs and enhance passenger experience—featuring a low-floor, flat-panel, barrier-free design with more spacious seating than current models. In the competitive landscape, Tesla launched its Robotaxi service in Austin last June, and Amazon’s Zoox is also accelerating its commercialization efforts. Waymo is further consolidating its first-mover advantage through mass-produced custom vehicles.