Waymo is heading for Munich. Alphabet subsidiary will start mapping the Bavarian capital in the coming weeks and aims to open a fully driverless ride-hailing service toward the end of 2027. It will be Waymo’s first commercial incursion into the EU, starting symbolically in BMW’s home town.
Initially, there will still be people behind the wheel. Trained “autonomous specialists” will drive while Waymo maps Munich’s streets and validates its system under local conditions. Germany already has a legal framework for Level 4 autonomous driving, while Waymo still needs approvals.
The intriguing question is what vehicle Munich passengers will eventually ride in. Waymo has not said.
Jaguar first, Zeekr later?
Waymo’s familiar workhorse remains the electric Jaguar I-Pace. Its German website even illustrates the Munich launch with one, making the Jaguar an obvious candidate for the first mapping and validation work.
But it is no longer Waymo’s future. Waymo received its final batch of Jaguars in 2025 and is shifting toward its sixth-generation Driver, which can be installed on different vehicle platforms.
The most important is the Ojai, Waymo’s purpose-built robotaxi developed with Zeekr, part of Geely. The boxy EV has sliding doors, a low step and flat floor, and was designed for intensive taxi use.
It also carries Waymo’s newest sensor and computing package, designed to cope with a broader range of weather conditions, including snow — an obvious advantage in southern Germany.
The Ojai is manufactured by Zeekr in Ningbo, China, before Waymo installs its autonomous-driving equipment. More than 3,200 have reportedly already been imported into the US despite steep tariffs, and Ojai rides have begun in San Francisco, Phoenix and Los Angeles.
A plausible scenario is therefore that Munich starts testing with Jaguars but shifts to Ojai once the commercial service scales. For now, however, that remains speculation: Waymo has not confirmed the German fleet.
Hyundai is also in the running
There is a third candidate. Waymo began autonomous testing of Hyundai Ioniq 5 vehicles with its sixth-generation Driver in July. Waymo deliberately wants its Driver to work across different platforms.
For Europe, Hyundai could have an advantage over the Chinese-built Ojai because it sidesteps the EU’s additional duties on Chinese EVs. Their exact treatment for a robotaxi fleet would depend on customs classification, but it is another reason not to assume every European Waymo will be a Zeekr underneath.
Why Munich matters
Munich is a provocative choice. Waymo is bringing American autonomous-driving technology into the heart of Germany’s car industry just as German manufacturers are under pressure from Chinese EV makers and software-driven competitors.
Waymo says it has completed more than 20 million autonomous trips and now serves hundreds of thousands of commercial rides per week. Outside the US, it is also testing in Tokyo and London.
The Netherlands could logically be among the next EU candidates. Dutch authorities have allowed autonomous-vehicle trials on public roads for years, with the RDW responsible for approvals. Amsterdam’s mix of cars, trams, pedestrians and cyclists would nevertheless be a formidable test.
Belgium may not be as far behind as it appears. In June, Flanders accepted the Dutch approval of Tesla’s FSD Supervised after an additional 5,000 kilometers of local testing, making Belgium one of the first European countries where the system can be used legally.
But Tesla’s system still requires a fully attentive driver and remains Level 2 assistance. Waymo’s robotaxis are a different regulatory leap: they operate without anyone behind the wheel, for which Belgium still lacks a mature commercial framework.
For now, Munich becomes Europe’s most interesting Waymo laboratory. And if the robotaxi eventually pulling up outside BMW headquarters turns out to be a Swedish-designed, Chinese-built Zeekr carrying American AI, it would neatly illustrate how profoundly the car industry’s competitive map has changed.
