Toyota, Waymo explore collaboration to speed up self-driving tech

Reuters

Tue, Apr 29, 2025, 4:28 PM 1 min read

TOKYO (Reuters) - Toyota Motor and Alphabet's Waymo said connected Wednesday they volition research collaborating connected the improvement of a caller autonomous conveyance level and ways to heighten next-generation personally owned vehicles (POVs).

Toyota volition physique the platform, which volition beryllium deployed successful Waymo's autonomous conveyance fleet, a Waymo spokesperson said. The companies volition besides research however they tin leverage Waymo's AV exertion for Toyota's POVs, the spokesperson added.

"The companies purpose to further accelerate the improvement and adoption of operator assistance and automated driving technologies for POVs," Toyota and Waymo said successful a associated statement.

The companies said they volition sermon the anticipation of expanding the scope of their cooperation, adding that Toyota's autonomous driving exertion portion Woven by Toyota volition articulation the imaginable collaboration.

Waymo has been focusing connected increasing its beingness done partnerships with automakers specified arsenic Hyundai and Zeekr and different players specified arsenic ride-hailing steadfast Uber. The plans with Hyundai and Zeekr stay successful place, the spokesperson said.

Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said past week that radical whitethorn beryllium capable to ain Waymo's self-driving taxis successful the future.

Earlier this month, Waymo, which spun retired of Google successful 2016, started collecting information successful Tokyo with trial rides operated by quality drivers to representation cardinal areas of the Japanese superior and get a amended knowing of section infrastructure and driving patterns.

Woven by Toyota is processing an automotive bundle platform, Arene, and mounting up a investigating tract named Woven City for mobility-related systems and services successful Shizuoka Prefecture, westbound of Tokyo.

(Reporting by Daniel Leussink and Chang-Ran Kim successful Tokyo and Abhirup Roy successful San Francisco; Editing by Christopher Cushing and Jacqueline Wong)