Toyota and Waymo have reached a preliminary agreement to explore collaborating on developing and deploying autonomous driving technologies, the two companies have said in a joint statement. Toyota’s mobility technology subsidiary, Woven by Toyota will also join the potential collaboration by contributing its expertise in advanced software and mobility innovation, according to the statement.
“Toyota is committed to realising a society with zero traffic accidents and becoming a mobility company that delivers mobility for all. We share a strong sense of purpose and a common vision with Waymo in advancing safety through automated driving technology, and we are confident this collaboration can help bring our solutions to more people around the world, moving us one step closer to a zero-accident society,” said Toyota executive VP Hiroki Nakajima.
Waymo is building what it calls a “generalisable driver” that can be deployed on a range of vehicle platforms and businesses over a period of time, as it continues to grow its ride-hailing service Waymo One and start to incorporate parts of its technology for personally owned vehicles, Waymo said.
The stated direction on using autonomous technology on personally owned vehicles comes after Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai was reported as saying that Waymo’s self-driving taxis may be available for private ownership in the future.
Earlier this month, a separate Reuters report stated that Waymo will begin collecting data in Tokyo on test rides operated by human drivers, with 25 units of the Jaguar I-Pace deployed to may key areas of Tokyo and gain insight into local infrastructure and driving patterns.
“Waymo’s mission is to be the world’s most trusted driver. This requires global partners like Toyota that share our commitment to improving road safety and expanding accessible transportation,” said Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana.
“We look forward to exploring this strategic partnership, incorporating their vehicles into our ride-hailing fleet and bringing the magic of Waymo’s autonomous driving technology to Toyota customers,” Mawakana added.
Waymo was reportedly in talks with Hyundai last year for the outsourced manufacturing of its self-driving vehicles, however it also said at the time that its partnership with Zeekr for Waymo Driver was ongoing.
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