Madrid is set to become Waymo's first market in Spain as the Alphabet unit expands its international autonomous ride-hailing footprint. The planned 2027 rollout comes as Spain opens its regulatory framework to more self-driving vehicle testing and prepares for commercial services in the capital.
Highlights
- Waymo will begin testing electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicles with specialists on Madrid streets ahead of a 2027 fully autonomous ride-hailing launch, its first in Spain.
- Waymo targets 2027 robotaxi launches in Madrid and Tokyo and aims for a London deployment in 2024 and Toronto in 2028, pending local regulatory approvals.
- Waymo's autonomous fleet, active in over 15 U.S. cities with 500,000+ weekly paid rides, reports 95% fewer serious-injury crashes versus human drivers after 400 million km driven.
Madrid rollout and testing plan
As reported by Reuters, citing Waymo, electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicles are set to begin appearing on Madrid streets in the coming days with trained specialists behind the wheel before fully autonomous operations start.The company says it will launch a fully autonomous ride-hailing service in the Madrid region in 2027, marking its first deployment in Spain. Waymo will operate under the Spanish traffic agency DGT's autonomous vehicle testing framework, according to its statement.
Waymo also says it aims to launch in London this year, in Tokyo in 2027 with Nihon Kotsu and Go pending regulatory approval, and in Toronto in 2028 with Element Fleet Management.
Spain's autonomous vehicle market gains momentum
Waymo says its fleet already operates in more than 15 U.S. cities, completes more than 500,000 paid rides a week and has surpassed 20 million cumulative paid rides.According to the company, safety data compiled over more than 400 million km of autonomous driving shows 95% fewer crashes involving serious injury or worse compared with human drivers. In Spain, the DGT issued its first national permits for autonomous vehicle testing to WeRide and Uber last month, with commercial services expected to launch in Madrid by the end of this year.
In our earlier article on BYD Malaysia’s local assembly plans, we covered the company’s decision to partner with Inokom Corporation for CKD vehicle assembly in Kulim, Kedah. We also noted that this approach followed BYD’s scrapped plan for a new plant in Tanjung Malim, highlighting how local partnerships can accelerate market entry while supporting the domestic automotive ecosystem.
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