Toyota to Partner With Alphabet’s Waymo on Autonomous Technology

(kaci) — Toyota Motor Corp. and Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo will explore
collaboration
on autonomous-driving technology, a potential boost to the Japanese carmaker’s efforts to catch up to the cutting-edge systems offered by major rivals.

The companies, along with Toyota’s automotive-technology division
Woven
, will seek to develop a new autonomous-driving platform, according to a joint statement Wednesday. They’ll also look to enhance next-generation personally owned vehicles, they said.

Toyota and other major Japanese firms have poured money into artificial intelligence and autonomous driving for years, but have struggled to keep pace with the rapid changes spearheaded by brands like Tesla Inc. and BYD Co.

The Japanese company is looking to accelerate development after its Woven unit, which develops its Arene software, saw
delays
in the wake of a management overhaul in 2023. Last year, Toyota said it would jointly
invest
¥500 billion ($3.3 billion) with Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corp. to develop autonomous-driving software that relies on AI to help predict and respond to traffic accidents.

For Waymo, the partnership represents its first step out of commercial ride-hailing cars and into personal vehicles. The company currently logs more than 250,000 trips each week across a handful of major US cities.

The global auto sector is increasingly betting that the future of transport lies in autonomous vehicles and Toyota’s Japanese peers are pursuing their own tie-ups. Nissan Motor Co. and UK-based Wayve announced a
partnership
earlier in April, while Suzuki Motor Corp. is collaborating with startup Tier IV.

Still, strict regulations are a big hurdle for assisted and autonomous driving in most places around the world but especially so in Japan, where vehicles for the time being will require human supervision and intervention.

–With assistance from Nicholas Takahashi.