Waymo's cheaper robotaxis collide with China crackdown

Waymo, the Alphabet unit, is set to expand public robotaxi service starting today in Denver, San Diego and Tampa, pushing its commercial fleet beyond 4,000 vehicles. Tampa will use the familiar white Jaguar I-Pace, while Denver and San Diego will be the first markets served exclusively by Waymo’s new powder-blue, snub-nosed Ojai robotaxi. The Ojai uses the sixth-generation Waymo Driver with fewer sensors to cut build and maintenance costs, and it’s designed to be modular for future platforms, including Hyundai Ioniq 5 models still in testing. But the cheaper Ojai, based on a Zeekr vehicle subject to tariffs, could run into tightening U.S. import restrictions.