Rides In Waymo's Ojai Help Reveal Robotaxi Future

A writer who took multiple rides in Waymo’s new Ojai vehicle says the robotaxi uses a car made in China and sold in the U.S. via imports. The Ojai is produced by Geely’s Zeekr brand as a special variant of the Zeekr SEA-M line, which is marketed in China as the Zeekr Mix. Waymo is buying the vehicles at about $38,000 each and paying more than 125% tariffs, starting from a 100% tariff on Chinese EVs and adding later trade-war levies. The writer argues vehicle cost is only about a third of total cost per mile for an at-scale robotaxi ride.