Waymo ships 3,200 Zeekr robotaxis to US despite 102.5% tariff

Waymo, the self-driving unit of Alphabet, has brought more than 3,200 robotaxis based on the Chinese Zeekr Ojai electric vehicle into the United States, pushing ahead despite an import tariff of 102.5%. Over 2,600 of those cars arrived in 2026 alone, and in August more than 500 vehicles were parked at Waymo's facility in Mesa, Arizona at the same time.

The Zeekr Ojai is built in Ningbo by Geely's Chinese division and appears in customs and industry paperwork under the codename CM1e. It rides on the SEA-M architecture, which grew out of the Zeekr M-Vision concept — a vehicle originally designed with Waymo's robotaxi ambitions in mind. In 2026, the Ojai began carrying passengers in San Francisco, Phoenix and Los Angeles.

The EV uses an 800-volt electrical system, a 93 kWh battery pack and a rear-mounted electric motor producing 200 kW (268 hp). Its body features sliding doors with no central pillars, while steering and braking rely on redundant electronic control systems.

Vehicles arrive in the US without their autonomous driving hardware. The Chinese side supplies the body, battery and powertrain, and Waymo then fits its own sixth-generation Driver system with four lidars, six radars and 13 cameras, along with the associated software.