Zeekr is set to begin production of the RT minivan developed for Waymo's robotaxis

Zeekr, the premium vehicle brand of Chinese automotive giant Geely, announced at CES 2025, which is taking place this week in Las Vegas, its intention to begin production of the Waymo-customised version of the Zeekr MIX minivan. According to the company, the first series production units of this robotaxi will be made available to Waymo so that it can add them to its fleet of autonomous vehicles, this same year.

The collaboration between Zeekr and Waymo dates back just over three years. In late December 2021, both companies announced a new alliance that would lead them to develop a new minivan to be used exclusively in Waymo’s autonomous passenger transport service.

Since the summer of 2024, the first prototypes of this Zeekr minivan have been circulating through the streets of San Francisco, always with a safety driver on board able to intervene in the event of an autonomous system failure. The announcement now made by the Chinese manufacturer confirms that this same year we will finally see on the streets of this popular Californian city series production units and no longer just prototypes.

It already has an official name

Additionally, Zeekr also revealed at CES 2025 that the official name of this autonomous minivan will be Zeekr RT, where “RT” appears to be an acronym for Robotaxi. According to the Chief Executive Officer of the Chinese firm, Andy An, the Zeekr RT will be the first series-produced vehicle designed specifically for autonomous driving.

With the upcoming start of deliveries of this autonomous minivan, Zeekr will also become the first Chinese carmaker to expand into the US market, a market practically off-limits to Chinese brands due to its aggressive tariff policy against them. However, Zeekr has not yet explained how it will deal with the tariffs it will have to bear or whether, on the contrary, it has managed to obtain some kind of exemption in this case.

The Zeekr RT will incorporate the sixth generation of Waymo’s autonomous driving technology, known as “Waymo Driver“. This new generation significantly reduces the hardware required, using only 13 cameras instead of the 29 used until now. Additionally, the number of LiDAR sensors has also been reduced from five to four.

Although the technical specifications of the Zeekr RT have not yet been revealed, it is expected to be quite similar to the Zeekr Mix, which has a 310 kW rear motor and a 77 kWh battery, allowing it to travel 556 kilometres on a single charge under the CLTC homologation cycle. With a wheelbase of 3 metres, this vehicle stands out for its spacious interior and easy access to the cabin, thanks to the three sliding doors it features, with only the driver’s door opening conventionally.