Waymo’s next-generation robotaxi is set to welcome passengers and enter mass production.

After extensive testing and validation, Waymo has announced that its sixth-generation robotaxi technology is ready to hit the streets for passenger rides. Initially, this advanced autonomous driving system will be available to employees and their friends in San Francisco and Los Angeles, with plans to open it up to the public soon after. Currently, Waymo’s fleet consists of Jaguar I-Pace vehicles equipped with the fifth-generation technology, which debuted in March 2020. However, this model is being phased out as Jaguar has discontinued it. The new system is designed to operate across various vehicle types, starting with the Zeekr RT minivan (renamed Ojai) and soon expanding to the Hyundai Ioniq 5. Waymo is also in discussions with other automakers, including Toyota, for future collaborations. Waymo claims that its sixth-generation system is the most advanced and capable autonomous vehicle it has ever created, utilizing fewer sensors to reduce costs. The upgraded cameras are more powerful, the lidar can detect objects that cameras might miss, and the enhanced radar is designed to perform well in extreme weather. Crucially, this system is built for “high-volume production,” allowing Waymo’s manufacturing partners to produce “tens of thousands of units annually.” After establishing a successful robotaxi business in various markets, Waymo is looking to expand rapidly, targeting 20 new cities by 2026. “Designed for long-term growth across multiple vehicle platforms, this system’s expanded capabilities allow us to safely broaden our footprint into more diverse environments, including those with extreme winter weather, at an even greater scale,” said Waymo’s VP of engineering, Satish Jeyachandran. Jeyachandran highlighted several metrics gathered over seven years and 200 million miles of testing in over ten major cities to support the readiness of the sixth generation for real-world deployment. In a subtle nod to competitors, he emphasized how Waymo’s multi-sensor hardware stack provides the necessary redundancy to create a comprehensive understanding of the vehicle’s surroundings, effectively identifying even the most challenging objects and scenarios. “Our experience as the only company operating a fully autonomous service at this scale has reinforced a fundamental truth: demonstrably safe AI requires equally resilient inputs,” he stated. “This deep understanding of real-world requirements is why the Waymo Driver utilizes a custom, multi-modal sensing suite where high-resolution cameras, advanced imaging radar, and lidar work as a unified system.” The vision system features high-powered 17-megapixel cameras, referred to as “imagers,” which can capture millions of data points for exceptionally clear images. In comparison, Tesla’s current Hardware 4 vehicles utilize 5-megapixel cameras. This impressive resolution allows Waymo to reduce the number of cameras needed from 29 in the fifth generation to just 16 in the new system. These cameras are complemented by strategically placed short-range lidar, which are also becoming more cost-effective for the company. The lidar enhances the identification of vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists, while providing “centimeter-scale range accuracy.” They have been redesigned to perform well in extreme weather conditions that could hinder even the highest-resolution cameras, a feature that will be increasingly important as Waymo plans to operate in snowier regions. Additionally, Jeyachandran mentioned more affordable radar sensors and the new external audio receivers (EARs) that can detect sounds like sirens or trains. The key takeaway is that Waymo believes it can produce many more of these vehicles at a lower cost compared to its previous robotaxis. This is vital as the company aims to expand its presence both in the U.S. and internationally, solidifying its status as a leader in the autonomous vehicle sector. Waymo plans to add only 2,000 more vehicles in 2026, bringing its total fleet to 3,500, but its ultimate goal is to scale up to tens of thousands of vehicles. Reducing costs will be increasingly crucial for robotaxi companies as they seek to grow and enter new markets. While Alphabet does not disclose specific costs for Waymo in its earnings reports, the “Other Bets” unit, which includes the robotaxi service, generated $370 million in revenue in the fourth quarter of 2025, down from $400 million the previous year. However, the unit’s losses increased significantly, from $1.2 billion to $3.6 billion year-over-year. Recently, Waymo secured $16 billion in funding to support its ambitions of taking its robotaxi business global.