Waymo partners with Magna to build self-driving vehicles in Arizona

Waymo has announced the opening of a new manufacturing facility in Mesa, Arizona, intended to support the expansion of its autonomous ride-hailing service, Waymo One. The facility, developed in partnership with automotive supplier Magna, will assemble fully autonomous Jaguar I-Pace electric vehicles equipped with the Waymo Driver system.

Waymo One currently provides over 250,000 paid rides weekly in four cities: Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Austin. The company plans to expand to Atlanta, Miami, and Washington, D.C. in 2026. In order to meet the growing demand for its services, Waymo is increasing its production capacity through this new facility, which spans 239,000 square feet and represents a multi-million dollar investment. According to the company, hundreds of jobs have been created at the Mesa plant.

The factory will build over 2,000 autonomous vehicles throughout the next year, following the final delivery of Jaguar I-Pace vehicles earlier this year. The facility has been described as a core component of Waymo’s growth strategy. It is designed to be adaptable for integrating future versions of the Waymo Driver, beginning with the 6th-generation system on the Zeekr RT platform in 2025.

The facility includes automated assembly lines and is expected to reach a production capacity of tens of thousands of autonomous vehicles per year. After vehicle integration, a validation process ensures they are ready for public use. According to Waymo, vehicles assigned to the Phoenix fleet can begin service within 30 minutes of leaving the plant, while those deployed to other cities can be operational within hours of shipment.