Waymo is rebranding its Zeekr robotaxi

Waymo has spent the past three years refining and testing a minivan-like vehicle made by Chinese automaker Zeekr. Now, before this robotaxi joins Waymo’s official commercial fleet, it’s getting a new name, the company told TechCrunch.

The Zeekr RT robo-taxi will now be named Ojai (pronounced “oh-hi”), after the village in the Topatopa Mountains above Los Angeles that is known for its arts community and focus on health and wellness.

Waymo’s official explanation, according to spokesman Chris Bonelli, is that the company has decided that the American public is not familiar with the Zeekr brand. This brand may carry over into the passenger experience. Apparently, when customers finally arrive in Ojai, the robo-taxi will greet them with an “Oh hello” and their names. Nice.

Of course, in the United States it might not hurt to get rid of the Chinese automaker’s name either.

For those unfamiliar, Waymo first partnered with Geely Holding Group-owned Zeekr in 2021. Waymo showed off its purpose-built robotaxi concept the following year at a splashy event in Los Angeles. The prototype is based on a version of Zeekr’s SEA-M architecture designed for “future mobility products” such as robotaxis and logistics vehicles.

It is worth noting that the prototype did not have a steering wheel. But the Ojai phone shown off at CES 2026 does just that.

Zeekr RT (now known as Ojai) has gone through some improvements over the years as it has undergone development and testing in cities like Phoenix and San Francisco. Last year at CES, Waymo gave its robotaxi the now-retired name Zeekr RT and showed off some of its hardware, including 13 cameras, four lidar, six radars, a bunch of external audio receivers, and the smallest sensor scanners you’ve ever seen.

This hardware group is the same. But the paint color has been modified, according to the company. The paint color, which used to have a blue tint, is now more silver, Waymo told TechCrunch.

All of these final modifications occurred before the Ojai’s imminent release into commercial service. Waymo employees, their families, and friends can now pay tribute to the Zeekr truck in San Francisco and Phoenix — typically one of the last steps before it becomes available to the public.

Waymo is in the midst of rapid expansion. The company, which provides commercial robotaxi service in Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Phoenix and San Francisco, plans to launch in dozens more cities over the next year. These cities include Denver, Las Vegas, and London.