Waymo Is Importing Thousands of Chinese Zeekr Minivans Despite 127.5% US Tariffs

How Waymo Built a US Robotaxi Fleet on Chinese Zeekr Minivans

Chinese electric vehicles are almost entirely absent from US showrooms because import duties of 127.5% make them too expensive for consumers. Alphabet-owned Waymo is getting around that problem for its own fleet: it imports Zeekr CM1e minivans from China without sensors or computers, then installs its proprietary autonomous-driving system at a facility in Arizona to meet US safety requirements.

Trade data from ImportGenius show more than 3,200 Zeekr CM1e vehicles have entered the US through the Port of Los Angeles since 2024, including more than 2,600 in 2026 alone. Waymo has not confirmed those import numbers, but the company says more than 300 of its Ojai minivans, which are based on the CM1e platform, are already operating in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Phoenix. The Ojai was first deployed in late May.

The cost picture is dramatic. With a list price of around $39,000 in China, the same minivan would cost almost $89,000 after US tariffs, before the self-driving technology is added. Waymo, which has raised more than $20 billion since 2009, is betting that utilisation will make the arithmetic work.

The imports support a rapid expansion: Waymo now operates in 11 US cities and arranges more than 500,000 paid rides per week, targeting 1 million weekly rides by the end of the year. At an average fare of roughly $20, that trajectory would push revenue above $1 billion in 2027.

What Zeekr Imports Reveal About Waymo's Cost Strategy and Robotaxi Economics

Why the tariff wall does not stop the fleet

Chinese manufacturers such as BYD and Xiaomi are now among the world's largest EV producers, yet their passenger cars are almost impossible to sell in the US because of the 127.5% duty stack. Waymo sidesteps that consumer-market barrier by importing the Zeekr CM1e without its sensors and computers and completing the safety-critical work itself. That gives Zeekr an indirect presence in the US without challenging the tariff regime head-on.

The unit economics of an $89,000 robotaxi chassis

If the imported minivan effectively costs around $89,000 after tariffs, Waymo is paying far more than a Chinese buyer would. The logic only works if each vehicle racks up enough paid miles and the roughly $20 average fare holds. At 500,000 paid rides per week, Waymo would be collecting about $10 million a week, or close to $520 million on an annualised basis; reaching 1 million weekly rides would put the business on course to pass $1 billion in annual revenue in 2027. Those are projections, not reported results, and depend on ride volume and fares holding as the fleet grows.

Who gains, who loses

Waymo gains access to a purpose-built EV platform that would otherwise be unavailable to it at scale. Zeekr gains a foothold in the world's biggest robotaxi market. US consumers lose out on affordable Chinese EV choices at retail, though they do gain a more widely available robotaxi service in cities where Waymo operates. Chinese brands such as BYD and Xiaomi remain locked out of the US market by tariffs.

What to watch next

The import data suggest Waymo is preparing far more capacity than the 300-plus vehicles it has acknowledged. The key tests are whether the company confirms a larger fleet, whether it hits the 1-million-rides-per-week target, and whether US policymakers reconsider how unfinished Chinese EVs are treated for tariff and safety purposes.

What Waymo's Fleet Growth Means for Competitors, Regulators and Investors

For the parties exposed to Waymo's expansion:

• Alphabet investors should watch for confirmation of the 1 million paid rides per week target and any official fleet-size disclosures, since both determine whether the Zeekr-based expansion is translating into revenue.
• Competing robotaxi developers should note that Waymo currently depends on Chinese-built Zeekr vehicles; any tightening of US rules on Chinese components or unfinished-vehicle imports would raise Waymo's costs and shift competitive dynamics.
• Policymakers and regulators should expect scrutiny of the import-bare, equip-locally model if Waymo continues importing thousands of vehicles, and should clarify how unfinished Chinese EVs are classified for tariffs and safety compliance.
• Supply-chain and logistics firms with exposure to the Port of Los Angeles and Arizona vehicle-integration work should treat the import volumes as a demand signal for EV platforms and retrofit capacity.