Alphabet’s Waymo sets up a German unit to support potential autonomous ride-hailing services in Europe, targeting global growth.
Alphabet’s autonomous vehicle unit Waymo has established Waymo Germany, a legal entity registered in Munich, as part of preparations for a potential European robotaxi market entry. The filing indicates the entity will cover ride-hailing operations and third-party commercial support services, though no launch timeline has been disclosed.
Waymo typically deploys human-supervised fleets for months or years to map new environments before full deployment. Recent U.S. expansions have seen shorter timelines due to favorable regulatory conditions. The company has also announced plans for London and Tokyo, with 21 additional markets targeted globally.
Germany has attracted interest from other autonomous vehicle operators, including Wayve Technologies, Baidu, and Momenta. Uber recently partnered with Autobrains Technologies, naming Munich as a future robotaxi launch site.