Wayve, Uber and Nissan announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on the development of robotaxis and commence activities to realize the deployment of robotaxi services.
The parties will begin preparations for a pilot deployment in Tokyo by late 2026, introducing the Nissan LEAF powered by the Wayve AI Driver, available to riders through Uber.
This marks Uber’s first autonomous vehicle partnership in Japan and the next milestone in Wayve and Uber’s global robotaxi rollout, which includes planned services across more than ten cities worldwide, including London.
Under this scheme, the goal is to integrate Wayve’s end-to-end artificial intelligence (AI) autonomous driving system into Nissan’s base vehicle, which can accommodate the Wayve AI Driver and connect to Uber’s ride hailing platform, matching robotaxis with individuals seeking transportation.
During the initial phase, the vehicles will operate on the Uber network with a trained safety operator in the car, allowing riders to experience a robotaxi service as part of their everyday journeys.
Wayve, Uber and Nissan aim to deploy their state of the art, safe and reliable robotaxi service in Tokyo, one of the world’s most challenging markets with its dense traffic patterns, complex road layouts and high safety standards.
The Wayve AI Driver is designed to learn from real-world data and generalize across new roads and cities without the use of an HD map. This enables rapid expansion into global markets and supports deployment in dynamic urban environments like Tokyo.
Uber intends to launch the service through a licensed taxi partner in Japan, working in close alignment with relevant authorities, and is currently in the process of selecting its partners.
As part of the announcement, the companies are providing a first look at the Robotaxi prototype based on the Nissan LEAF.
The announcement reinforces a shared ambition to scale safe, intelligent autonomous mobility globally by combining Wayve's AI technology, Nissan’s cutting-edge vehicles and Uber’s network, the partners aim to bring autonomous mobility to more cities.
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I have bad reflexes. I was once run over by a car being pushed by two guys
Woody Allen
Volvo has confirmed that its vehicles will now integrate Google’s Gemini artificial intelligence system. This development builds on the company’s existing collaboration with Google, which already provides Android Automotive OS and Google services in Volvo models.
New vehicle sales in 2026 continued their positive trend in April, with the 47 979 units sold marking the best April figure since 2013. This represents a remarkable performance by local automotive retailers despite a host of economic headwinds and a challenging trading environment.
April 2026 marked a turning point in South Africa’s economic landscape, as global energy markets were jolted by escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, according to naamsa | The Automotive Business Council.
