Waymo opens its cheaper next-gen robotaxi to all riders in three cities

Waymo has opened its next-generation robotaxi, called the Ojai, to all riders in Los Angeles, Phoenix, and San Francisco, a milestone in the Alphabet company’s push to expand its fleet with vehicles that are cheaper to build, operate, and maintain. Customers in those markets may now be matched with an Ojai when they hail a ride; once Waymo has enough in its fleet, riders will be able to choose between the Ojai and the older Jaguar I-Pace. Waymo has about 300 Ojai robotaxis in its commercial fleet today, according to a company spokesperson, and plans to roll out the vehicle in Denver, Las Vegas, and San Diego later this year.

For years Waymo has relied on the all-electric, modified Jaguar I-Pace, which now operates in 11 U.S. cities and has become ubiquitous in markets like San Francisco but has served more as a stopgap toward the company’s longer-term push for mass scale and profitability. The Ojai is equipped with Waymo’s sixth-generation self-driving system — modular and designed to work across multiple vehicle types — along with a redesigned interface and Google’s Gemini AI acting as an in-car assistant.

Strip away that technology and the Ojai is a minivan made by Zeekr, a brand owned by China’s Geely Holding Group; Waymo partnered with Zeekr in 2021 and has spent years testing prototype and production-intent versions. It’s built on Zeekr’s SEA-M platform, designed for vehicles like robotaxis and delivery vans, aiming for a robotaxi that’s attractive and accessible to riders but also cheap to build, maintain, and durable enough for near-constant use. Tariffs on the imported vehicles have added cost: vehicles built in China face steep U.S. import tariffs, and the base Zeekr vehicles ship without Chinese connected-car technology before being outfitted with Waymo’s self-driving system at its Arizona factory.

Research firm MoffettNathanson, which tracks Ojai imports through shipped-goods receipts, said Waymo is on pace to bring 5,000 Ojai vehicles into the U.S. by the end of 2026 — more than double its current Jaguar fleet. In July alone, 725 Ojai vehicles entered the country.

Why it matters

A cheaper, modular robotaxi platform is central to whether Waymo can scale autonomous rides profitably, even as import tariffs on its China-built vehicles add a cost the company must absorb or pass along as it races to expand beyond its current 11-city footprint.