Nissan, Uber and British AI startup Wayve announce a robotaxi partnership targeting a pilot launch in Tokyo by 2026, signaling accelerating competition in the global autonomous mobility sector.
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| Nissan, Uber and Wayve team up to test robotaxis in Tokyo using autonomous Nissan Leaf vehicles, reflecting growing global investment in self-driving mobility. Image: CH |
TOKYO, Japan — March 12, 2026:
A new alliance between Nissan Motor, ride-hailing giant Uber Technologies, and British autonomous driving startup Wayve aims to accelerate the rollout of robotaxi services, with a pilot program planned in Tokyo by late 2026.
The collaboration will deploy electric Nissan Leaf vehicles equipped with Wayve’s artificial intelligence–based self-driving technology and made available to passengers through Uber’s ride-hailing platform.
The partnership marks Uber’s first autonomous vehicle collaboration in Japan and highlights the growing global race among technology firms and automakers to commercialize driverless mobility.
Under the initial plan, the robotaxi fleet will operate on Uber’s platform with a trained safety driver present in the vehicles during the early phase. The service will be launched through a licensed taxi partner in Japan to comply with local regulatory frameworks.
Wayve CEO Alex Kendall said the company has already been testing its technology across Japan since early 2025.
“Partnering with Uber and Nissan to begin pilot deployment of robotaxis allows us to introduce this technology in a responsible way,” Kendall said in a joint statement.
Japan has increasingly become a key testing ground for autonomous driving technologies, particularly as the country seeks solutions for labor shortages in the transportation sector and an aging population.
The Tokyo pilot is part of a broader global strategy. Wayve and Uber began working together in August 2024 and plan to launch autonomous mobility services in more than 10 cities worldwide, including London later this year.
Wayve has attracted significant backing from major technology investors, including SoftBank and Nvidia, which have been aggressively investing in artificial intelligence and autonomous driving platforms.
The startup focuses on AI-driven self-driving systems that rely on machine learning rather than traditional rule-based mapping, a strategy supporters say could allow vehicles to adapt more easily to new environments.
For Nissan, the partnership represents another step in expanding its autonomous vehicle capabilities. The Japanese automaker said last September it had begun testing a driver-assistance system powered by Wayve’s technology, with a planned launch in Japan during the 2027 financial year.
Nissan CEO Ivan Espinosa said the companies are already discussing the possibility of extending the collaboration beyond Japan to other markets.
Such expansion could depend heavily on regulatory approval, infrastructure readiness, and public acceptance of driverless vehicles.
The robotaxi industry has become one of the most competitive areas of transportation technology, with automakers, tech firms, and ride-hailing platforms all vying for leadership.
For Uber, partnerships with autonomous vehicle developers are a key strategy as the company seeks to integrate driverless fleets into its platform without building the technology itself.
For Nissan and Wayve, the collaboration provides access to Uber’s global ride-hailing network and customer base—an important factor in scaling autonomous mobility services once the technology matures.
If the Tokyo pilot succeeds, it could position the Japanese capital as one of the first major Asian cities to deploy robotaxis at scale, potentially shaping the future of urban transportation in the autonomous era.