Wayve, Uber and Nissan have signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on the development of robotaxis and commence activities to realize the deployment of robotaxi services in Tokyo, Japan. Nissan Leaf vehicles, powered by the Wayve AI Driver, will be available to riders through Uber in late 2026.
This marks Uber’s first autonomous vehicle partnership in Japan.
Alex Kendall, co-founder and CEO of Wayve, said, “Tokyo represents an important step forward in bringing embodied intelligence to one of the world’s most sophisticated mobility markets. We have been testing our technology throughout Japan since early 2025, building extensive experience in the country’s unique road environments. Partnering with Uber and Nissan to begin pilot deployment of robotaxis allows us to introduce this technology in a responsible way, while continuing to learn and expand.”
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.
Ivan Espinosa, president and CEO of Nissan Motor, added, “Nissan is proud to collaborate in this next chapter of mobility innovation. Our work with Wayve to integrate advanced AI technology across our consumer vehicle portfolio has laid strong foundations, and we are excited to take this partnership further with a pilot deployment of robotaxis in Tokyo, bringing together Wayve’s AI technology, Uber’s network,and Nissan vehicles. Nissan’s vision is to bring mobility intelligence to everyday life, and we believe this initiative reflects how we translate that ambition into real‑world applications.”
During the initial phase, the vehicles will operate on the Uber network with a trained safety operator in the car.
Dara Khosrowshahi, the CEO of Uber, commented, “Autonomous mobility is becoming an increasingly important part of the Uber platform. We are excited to expand our collaboration with Wayve and to work with Nissan to bring robotaxi services to Tokyo. Following our planned pilot deployment in London, we look forward to expanding into Tokyo and introducing new, modern ways to travel in some of the world’s largest cities. It also reflects our long-term commitment to Japan, a critical market where innovation can help address driver shortages and support the future of urban transportation. Our goal is to give riders more ways to move, with seamless access through the Uber app.”
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