Waymo's Sixth-Gen Robotaxis Hit the Road—With Chinese Bones

Google's self-driving unit Waymo just put its sixth-generation robotaxis on American roads—and they're riding on Chinese bones. The new "Ojai" vehicles, built on platforms from Chinese automaker Geely, are now ferrying employees and guests around San Francisco and Los Angeles, marking a significant step in Waymo's expansion plans.

But here's the twist: America's leading robotaxi company is betting on Chinese manufacturing to maintain its edge.

The Economics of Autonomous Ambition

Waymo's new Ojai vehicles represent more than just a tech upgrade—they're a calculated bet on cost efficiency. The sixth-generation Waymo Driver system leverages the dramatic price drops in lidar technology over the past five years. "Our 6th-generation lidar leverages the significant cost reductions the industry has seen," said Satish Jeyachandran, Waymo's VP of Engineering.

The numbers tell the story. The new 17-megapixel imaging system can see around vehicles with fewer cameras than previous generations. Integrated cleaning systems tackle rain, snow, and road grime—crucial for Waymo's planned expansion to harsh-weather cities like Denver, Detroit, and Washington D.C. this year.

The Ojai's boxy design offers a higher ceiling and lower step-in than Waymo's current Jaguar I-PACE fleet, while maintaining roughly the same footprint. It's a practical choice for a service that completed millions of rides last year.

The Global Race Heats Up

Waymo operates in six U.S. cities and plans to expand to ten more this year, plus London—its first international market. But Chinese competitors like Baidu's Apollo Go and WeRide are expanding internationally faster than Waymo, despite the American company's head start.

The stakes are enormous. Goldman Sachs estimates the global autonomous ride-hailing market could exceed $25 billion by 2030. Waymo just raised $16 billion at a $126 billion valuation, but Alphabet's "Other Bets" division (which includes Waymo) posted $7.51 billion in losses in 2025, up from $4.44 billion the year before.

Meanwhile, rivals Amazon's Zoox and Tesla are still testing their systems without offering wide commercial service.

The China Dilemma

Waymo's reliance on Chinese-made vehicles has drawn sharp criticism from GOP lawmakers. "We're locked in a race with China, but it seems like you're getting in bed with China," Senator Bernie Moreno told Waymo's safety chief last week.

Waymo insists it maintains control over the critical technology. The company won't provide "any access to its closely-held autonomous driving technology, sensor data, nor any rider information" to Zeekr, Geely's subsidiary that builds the base vehicles. All autonomous tech installation happens in the U.S.

Yet the arrangement highlights a complex reality: even America's most advanced tech companies sometimes need global supply chains to compete effectively. Waymo is also developing robotaxis based on the Hyundai Ioniq 5, suggesting a strategy of supplier diversification.