Waymo’s Zeekr Imports Top 3,200 Despite 127.5% US Tariffs

Why Waymo Keeps Importing Zeekr Vans Into a 127.5% Tariff Wall

Waymo has quietly imported far more Chinese-built Zeekr vans into the United States than the market assumed. Customs data compiled by ImportGenius shows more than 3,200 of the model sold in China as the Zeekr CM1e – branded in the US as the Waymo Ojai – have arrived through the Port of Los Angeles since 2024, including more than 2,600 this year. The company says more than 300 Ojai vans are now serving early-access riders in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Phoenix.

The imports are running against a steep tariff wall. A 100% tariff on Chinese-made EVs, added on top of the standard 2.5% vehicle duty and a 25% duty on strategic goods, takes a $39,000 Chinese-market list price to nearly $89,000 before Waymo’s self-driving systems, which analysts estimate cost more than $10,000 per vehicle. ImportGenius says Waymo is not named on the customs documents, but argues Zeekr has no other US partner.

Why the volume matters: Waymo is scaling fast. It now logs more than 500,000 paid rides a week, and its stated goal is 1 million weekly rides by the end of the year. At an estimated average fare of about $20, that would put 2027 revenue above $1 billion. Its total fleet stood at about 3,900 vehicles last month, many of them discontinued Jaguar I-Pace SUVs, so the arrival of at least 3,200 Zeekr vans would be a major expansion – but also a major cost increase at tariff-inflated prices.

To comply with US security rules aimed at Chinese technology, the Zeekr vans arrive without sensors or computing hardware. Waymo installs those systems, which it says were developed in the US, at its Mesa, Arizona facility. The vans are also being upgraded with Google’s Gemini voice assistant, and the platform is expected to face new competition from Amazon’s Zoox, which recently received federal approval for purpose-built robotaxis.

Tariffs, Sunk Design and the Real Cost of Waymo’s Ojai Fleet

The tariff math is real, but the actual price may not be

Verified: at the Chinese list price of $39,000, the combined 127.5% tariff burden would push each CM1e to nearly $89,000 before the autonomy stack. MoffettNathanson estimates Waymo has been importing roughly 300 Zeekr vehicles a month, “significantly higher” than investor expectations. Interpretation: the fact Waymo is still importing at that pace suggests the real landed cost is well below the list-price calculation. Sino Auto Insights’ Tu Le argues Geely has excess manufacturing capacity and sees Waymo as a prestige partner, so it can discount meaningfully below $39,000 – and may even absorb part of the tariff bill rather than lose the contract.

Why Waymo is staying with a vehicle designed before the tariffs

Verified: the Zeekr partnership was announced in late 2021, before the 100% EV tariff was imposed, and Waymo’s autonomy system is specifically engineered around the Ojai. The sixth-generation hardware on the van costs about 50% less than the fifth-generation system used in the I-Pace. Interpretation: walking away would mean abandoning years of costly design work and a cheaper next-generation hardware platform. Paying tariffs on thousands of vehicles is therefore likely still cheaper for Alphabet than redesigning the robotaxi around another car.

What the import numbers do to the path toward profitability

Verified: Waymo has raised well over $20 billion since the Google Self-Driving Car project began, operates commercial robotaxis in 11 US cities with four more planned, and runs more than 500,000 paid rides a week. It plans to add US-built Hyundai Ioniq 5 vehicles alongside the Zeekrs. Interpretation: the import data changes the shape of Waymo’s cost base. The opportunity is scale – 1 million rides a week and $1 billion-plus revenue by 2027 – but the number of vehicles needed to get there, at tariff-inflated unit costs, makes near-term profitability harder unless Geely is sharing the tariff burden.

Zoox, local production and the competitive response

Verified: Amazon’s Zoox has federal approval for purpose-built robotaxis without steering wheels or pedals, will start paid service in Las Vegas and then target San Francisco, Los Angeles and other cities. Hyundai builds the Ioniq 5 in Georgia, which avoids Chinese EV tariffs. Interpretation: Waymo’s reliance on Zeekr creates a cost disadvantage versus locally produced alternatives in a future price war, even though the Ojai’s cabin and sixth-generation hardware give it an operational edge today. The strategic question for Alphabet is whether these imports remain a stopgap or become a permanent workaround of US trade policy.

What Investors Should Track as Waymo Scales Toward 1 Million Weekly Rides

For Alphabet investors, the key is whether Geely and Zeekr are sharing the tariff cost – if Waymo’s real per-vehicle price is materially below the $89,000 list-price estimate, the unit economics look far stronger. For robotaxi competitors and suppliers, treat ImportGenius customs data as a leading indicator: roughly 300 Zeekr units a month is the current run rate, and that pace will determine how fast Waymo can reach its 1 million weekly rides target. For sector analysts, the two concrete milestones to mark are Waymo’s year-end ride target and Zoox’s paid launch in Las Vegas.

• If 1 million weekly rides is hit by the end of this year, 2027 revenue above $1 billion at roughly $20 per ride becomes the base case to model; if it slips, the tariff-inflated Ojai fleet will be the first place cost pressure shows up.
• Watch for any disclosure from Alphabet or Waymo on per-vehicle cost or Geely tariff sharing; the difference between $39,000 and $89,000 per vehicle decides how much of the ~3,200-van import program is an asset or a liability.
• Track monthly Zeekr entries through the Port of Los Angeles; MoffettNathanson’s ~300-unit monthly estimate is the current benchmark for fleet growth.
• For competitors: assume Waymo has a working, scalable path to Chinese-built vehicles despite tariffs; plan pricing and capacity accordingly, and note Zoox’s federal approval and Las Vegas launch as the next competitive event.