Waymo rebrands its Zeekr robotaxi to Ojai

Waymo, the autonomous driving technology company, is officially renaming its Zeekr autonomous vehicle used for commercial ride-hailing to Ojai. The company has spent three years refining and testing this vehicle, which is manufactured by Zeekr, a Chinese automaker and subsidiary of Geely Holding Group. The partnership between Waymo and Geely Holding Group, the parent company of Zeekr, originally started in 2021. Over the three years of refining and testing, the vehicle has undergone development in cities like Phoenix and San Francisco. The newly renamed vehicle, which was shown off at CES 2026, will reportedly include a personalized greeting for passengers when they enter. Apparently, when customers eventually get into the Ojai, the autonomous vehicle used for commercial ride-hailing will greet them with an “Oh hi” and their name.

Ojai serves as the new brand name for Waymo’s autonomous vehicle used for commercial ride-hailing. The decision to rename the vehicle comes as Waymo prepares for a broader commercial rollout in the U.S. market. According to Waymo spokesperson Chris Bonelli, the company determined that the U.S. public is not familiar with the Zeekr brand. Additionally, the source notes that in the U.S., it might not hurt to ditch the name of a Chinese automaker as the company scales its operations. The vehicle itself is based on a version of Zeekr’s vehicle platform designed for future mobility products, which was first showcased as a concept in Los Angeles.

Despite the new name, the hardware suite on the Ojai remains unchanged. The vehicle retains its existing configuration of 13 cameras, four lidar, and six radar. Waymo is currently testing the vehicles in Phoenix and San Francisco. The company already offers its autonomous vehicle used for commercial ride-hailing service in Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and San Francisco. As it prepares to deploy the Ojai, the company plans to launch in a dozen more cities over the next year. These expansion plans include bringing the autonomous vehicle used for commercial ride-hailing service to Denver, Las Vegas, and London, representing a significant scaling of its commercial footprint.

Why it matters

The rebrand signals Waymo’s transition from testing to commercial scaling, prioritizing consumer-friendly branding in the U.S. market as it prepares for a rapid, multi-city rollout.