Building trust in a robotaxi goes beyond how well it drives; it's also about how it introduces itself. Waymo seems to have learned that lesson the hard way.
As the company prepares to roll out its next-generation robotaxi, it’s retiring the name Zeekr RT, a model built by a Chinese EV brand in favour of something far simpler, and far more American-sounding: Ojai (pronounced as "oh-hi").
Waymo believed the Zeekr name simply didn’t resonate with US riders. According to spokesperson Chris Bonelli, the company concluded that the brand was largely unfamiliar to American consumers.
Ojai, by contrast, sounds warm and approachable. It’s named after a small Californian town near the Topatopa Mountains, known for its artistic culture and focus on wellbeing. That thinking may even spill into the rider experience itself. When customers eventually step inside the vehicle, the robotaxi is expected to greet them with a friendly “Oh hi,” followed by their name.
Waymo’s relationship with Zeekr goes back to 2021, when it struck a deal with parent company Geely Holding Group. A year later, the partnership became tangible with a flashy Los Angeles reveal of a purpose-built robotaxi concept. That vehicle was built on Zeekr’s SEA-M architecture — a platform designed specifically for robotaxis and logistics fleets rather than consumer cars.
Since then, the vehicle now known as Ojai has gone through years of testing and refinement on the streets of Phoenix and San Francisco. At CES last year, Waymo formally introduced the Zeekr RT name and showed off the hardware underpinning it: 13 cameras, four lidar units, six radar sensors, external audio receivers, and even tiny wipers designed to keep those sensors clean.
The hardware remains unchanged, but the look has evolved. Waymo says the robotaxi’s once bluish paint has been swapped for a sleeker silver finish. These final touches come as Ojai edges closer to commercial launch. Employees of Waymo, along with their friends and family, are already hailing the vehicle in San Francisco and Phoenix, usually a checkpoint before a wider public rollout. All of this is happening as Waymo accelerates its expansion.
Although, a similar rebranding situation occurred when Oxbotica, autonomous vehicle software company, changed its name to Oxa in 2023. Like Waymo's decision to rename the Zeekr robotaxi to Ojai, this change was part of a strategic shift to better position the company for global scaling and commercial deployment.
The rebrand shows how Waymo is thinking beyond autonomy as a technical challenge. As robotaxis move from novelty to normalcy, names, tone, and first impressions may matter just as much as sensors and software.
Ogbonda Chivumnovu
