Waymo has spent the past three years refining and testing minivan-like vehicles made by Chinese automaker Zeekr. Now, the robotaxi is getting a new name before it joins Waymo’s official commercial fleet, the company tells TechCrunch.
The Zeekr RT robotaxi will be named Ojai (pronounced “oh-hai”) after a village in the Topatopa Mountains of Los Angeles known for its arts community and focus on wellness.
Waymo’s official explanation, according to spokesperson Chris Bonelli, is that the company has determined that the American public is unfamiliar with the Zeekr brand. That branding may also be reflected in the rider experience. Apparently, when customers finally get into Ojai, the robotaxi will greet them with “Ojai” along with their name. cute.
Of course, in the United States, it may be okay to abandon the name of a Chinese automaker.
For those unfamiliar, Waymo partnered with Geely Holding Group-owned Zeekr for the first time in 2021. The following year, Waymo unveiled its dedicated robotaxis concept at a glitzy event in Los Angeles. The prototype was based on a version of Zeekr’s SEA-M architecture, designed for “future mobility products” such as robotaxis and logistics vehicles.
It is noteworthy that the prototype did not have a steering wheel. But that’s the case with Ojai’s product, which was unveiled at CES 2026.
Zeekr RT (now Ojai) has been fine-tuned over the years, with development and testing in cities like Phoenix and San Francisco. At last year’s CES, Waymo gave its robotaxi the now-defunct name Zeekr RT and showed off some of its hardware, including 13 cameras, four LIDARs, six radars, an array of external audio receivers, and the smallest sensor wiper ever seen.
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Its hardware suite is the same. However, the company says the paint color has been tweaked. Waymo told TechCrunch that the bluish paint color is now more of a silver color.
All of these final adjustments were made ahead of Ojai’s imminent launch into commercial service. Waymo employees and their families and friends can now hail a Zeekr van in San Francisco and Phoenix. This is one of the last steps before it is released to the general public.
Waymo is in the midst of rapid expansion. The company offers commercial robotaxi services in Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and San Francisco, and plans to launch in more than a dozen other cities next year. These cities include Denver, Las Vegas, and London.
