Toyota Partners with Waymo to Advance Autonomous Driving Technology

Japan's Toyota starts collaborating with self-driving leader Waymo on autonomous cars

TOKYO (AP) -- Japan's top automaker Toyota announced a partnership with U.S. autonomous driving technology company Waymo on Wednesday. The move was somewhat anticipated, as the use of such technology speeds up around the world, and Toyota Motor Corp. has been aggressive about its intention to stay on top of such advances. "Toyota is committed to realizing 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," Toyota Executive Vice President Hiroki Nakajima said in a statement. Waymo, which started out as the Google Self-Driving Car Project in 2009, now offers fully autonomous ride-hailing services in San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles and Austin, and is rolling them out in other U.S. cities. It also has a partnership with ride-hailing leader Uber. Toyota has built a city, complete with streets and housing, near Mount Fuji called Woven City to test robotics, artificial intelligence and autonomous zero-emissions transportation. The maker of the Camry sedan and Lexus luxury models tends to be very cautious about rolling out auto technology, seeking to protect its reputation as a safe and environmentally conscious manufacturer. Tekedra Mawakana, co-CEO at Waymo, said partners were key to winning trust. "This requires global partners like Toyota that share our commitment to improving road safety and expanding accessible transportation," Mawakana said. Details of the terms of the deal were not disclosed. Both sides said they were still exploring how their collaboration might develop into actual products. Although there are various test versions of fully autonomous vehicles in Japan, they are for now limited to certain restricted areas. Other companies and automakers are working on similar services, including public transportation.

Japan's Toyota starts collaborating with self-driving leader Waymo on autonomous cars

Japan's top automaker Toyota announced a partnership with U.S. autonomous driving technology company Waymo on Wednesday. The move was somewhat anticipated, as the use of such technology speeds up around the world, and Toyota Motor Corp. has been aggressive about its intention to stay on top of such advances. "Toyota is committed to realizing 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," Toyota Executive Vice President Hiroki Nakajima said in a statement. Waymo, which started out as the Google Self-Driving Car Project in 2009, now offers fully autonomous ride-hailing services in San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles and Austin, and is rolling them out in other U.S. cities. It also has a partnership with ride-hailing leader Uber. Toyota has built a city, complete with streets and housing, near Mount Fuji called Woven City to test robotics, artificial intelligence and autonomous zero-emissions transportation. The maker of the Camry sedan and Lexus luxury models tends to be very cautious about rolling out auto technology, seeking to protect its reputation as a safe and environmentally conscious manufacturer. Tekedra Mawakana, co-CEO at Waymo, said partners were key to winning trust. "This requires global partners like Toyota that share our commitment to improving road safety and expanding accessible transportation," Mawakana said. Details of the terms of the deal were not disclosed. Both sides said they were still exploring how their collaboration might develop into actual products. Although there are various test versions of fully autonomous vehicles in Japan, they are for now limited to certain restricted areas. Other companies and automakers are working on similar services, including public transportation. © 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Japan's Toyota starts collaborating with self-driving leader Waymo on autonomous cars

TOKYO (AP) -- Japan's top automaker Toyota announced a partnership with U.S. autonomous driving technology company Waymo on Wednesday. The move was somewhat anticipated, as the use of such technology speeds up around the world, and Toyota Motor Corp. has been aggressive about its intention to stay on top of such advances. "Toyota is committed to realizing 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," Toyota Executive Vice President Hiroki Nakajima said in a statement. Waymo, which started out as the Google Self-Driving Car Project in 2009, now offers fully autonomous ride-hailing services in San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles and Austin, and is rolling them out in other U.S. cities. It also has a partnership with ride-hailing leader Uber. Toyota has built a city, complete with streets and housing, near Mount Fuji called Woven City to test robotics, artificial intelligence and autonomous zero-emissions transportation. The maker of the Camry sedan and Lexus luxury models tends to be very cautious about rolling out auto technology, seeking to protect its reputation as a safe and environmentally conscious manufacturer. Tekedra Mawakana, co-CEO at Waymo, said partners were key to winning trust. "This requires global partners like Toyota that share our commitment to improving road safety and expanding accessible transportation," Mawakana said. Details of the terms of the deal were not disclosed. Both sides said they were still exploring how their collaboration might develop into actual products. Although there are various test versions of fully autonomous vehicles in Japan, they are for now limited to certain restricted areas. Other companies and automakers are working on similar services, including public transportation. ___ Yuri Kageyama is on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@yurikageyama

Japan's Toyota starts collaborating with self-driving leader Waymo on autonomous cars

TOKYO -- Japan's top automaker Toyota announced a partnership with U.S. autonomous driving technology company Waymo on Wednesday. The move was somewhat anticipated, as the use of such technology speeds up around the world, and Toyota Motor Corp. has been aggressive about its intention to stay on top of such advances. "Toyota is committed to realizing 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," Toyota Executive Vice President Hiroki Nakajima said in a statement. Waymo, which started out as the Google Self-Driving Car Project in 2009, now offers fully autonomous ride-hailing services in San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles and Austin, and is rolling them out in other U.S. cities. It also has a partnership with ride-hailing leader Uber. Toyota has built a city, complete with streets and housing, near Mount Fuji called Woven City to test robotics, artificial intelligence and autonomous zero-emissions transportation. The maker of the Camry sedan and Lexus luxury models tends to be very cautious about rolling out auto technology, seeking to protect its reputation as a safe and environmentally conscious manufacturer. Tekedra Mawakana, co-CEO at Waymo, said partners were key to winning trust. "This requires global partners like Toyota that share our commitment to improving road safety and expanding accessible transportation," Mawakana said. Details of the terms of the deal were not disclosed. Both sides said they were still exploring how their collaboration might develop into actual products. Although there are various test versions of fully autonomous vehicles in Japan, they are for now limited to certain restricted areas. Other companies and automakers are working on similar services, including public transportation.

Japan's Toyota Starts Collaborating With Self-Driving Leader Waymo on Autonomous Cars

TOKYO (AP) -- Japan's top automaker Toyota announced a partnership with U.S. autonomous driving technology company Waymo on Wednesday. The move was somewhat anticipated, as the use of such technology speeds up around the world, and Toyota Motor Corp. has been aggressive about its intention to stay on top of such advances. "Toyota is committed to realizing 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," Toyota Executive Vice President Hiroki Nakajima said in a statement. Waymo, which started out as the Google Self-Driving Car Project in 2009, now offers fully autonomous ride-hailing services in San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles and Austin, and is rolling them out in other U.S. cities. It also has a partnership with ride-hailing leader Uber. Toyota has built a city, complete with streets and housing, near Mount Fuji called Woven City to test robotics, artificial intelligence and autonomous zero-emissions transportation. The maker of the Camry sedan and Lexus luxury models tends to be very cautious about rolling out auto technology, seeking to protect its reputation as a safe and environmentally conscious manufacturer. Tekedra Mawakana, co-CEO at Waymo, said partners were key to winning trust. "This requires global partners like Toyota that share our commitment to improving road safety and expanding accessible transportation," Mawakana said. Details of the terms of the deal were not disclosed. Both sides said they were still exploring how their collaboration might develop into actual products. Although there are various test versions of fully autonomous vehicles in Japan, they are for now limited to certain restricted areas. Other companies and automakers are working on similar services, including public transportation. Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Toyota to partner with Alphabet's Waymo on autonomous technology

Toyota and Alphabet'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 and BYD. 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 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 U.S. 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 and U.K.-based Wayve announced a partnership earlier in April, while Suzuki is collaborating with startup Tier IV. 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.

Google's Waymo Wants To Be The 'World's Most Trusted Driver' And Toyota 'Zero Traffic Accidents' -- Both Join Forces To Bring Autonomous Driving Tech To Personal Vehicles - Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG), Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL)

Alphabet Inc.'s GOOGL GOOG subsidiary Google-backed Waymo and Toyota Motor Corp TM have announced a preliminary agreement on Tuesday to explore collaboration on autonomous driving technologies, with a focus on personally owned vehicles, the companies said in a joint release. What Happened: The strategic partnership aims to combine Waymo's autonomous driving expertise with Toyota's vehicle manufacturing capabilities to develop a new autonomous vehicle platform. Woven by Toyota will join as a strategic enabler, contributing advanced software and mobility innovation to the project. "Toyota is committed to realizing a society with zero traffic accidents and becoming a mobility company that delivers mobility for all," said Hiroki Nakajima, Executive Vice President of Toyota Motor Corporation. "We share a strong sense of purpose and a common vision with Waymo in advancing safety through automated driving technology." Waymo, which currently provides more than 250,000 fully autonomous paid rides weekly across San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Austin, will bring its substantial operational experience to the partnership. Data shows Waymo vehicles are involved in 81% fewer injury-causing crashes compared to human drivers. "Waymo's mission is to be the world's most trusted driver," said Tekedra Mawakana, co-CEO at Waymo. "This requires global partners like Toyota that share our commitment to improving road safety and expanding accessible transportation." See Also: Elon Musk Says Will Come As A 'Surprise To Most' As China's Economy Surpasses US And EU Amid Rising Tariffs And Growing Recession Fears Get StartedStart Futures Trading Fast -- with a $200 Bonus Join Plus500 today and get up to $200 to start trading real futures. Practice with free paper trading, then jump into live markets with lightning-fast execution, low commissions, and full regulatory protection. Get Started Why It Matters: The announcement comes as competition intensifies in the autonomous vehicle sector. Tesla Inc. TSLA is preparing to launch its robotaxi service in Austin this June with 10-20 vehicles, though some investors remain skeptical about the limited scope of its initial deployment. Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai recently highlighted autonomous vehicle personal ownership as "an option" in Waymo's future during the company's first-quarter of 2025 earnings call, aligning with this new Toyota partnership's focus on personally owned vehicles. The partnership will focus on incorporating aspects of Waymo's technology into Toyota's vehicles while continuing to develop Toyota's proprietary Toyota Safety Sense suite of advanced safety features. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Photo Courtesy: Sundry Photography on Shutterstock.com Read Next: Trump Media Says Its Exploring Utility Token Within Truth Digital Wallet As Part Of Rewards Program Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors. GOOGAlphabet Inc$161.48-0.58%Stock Score Locked: Want to See it? Benzinga Rankings give you vital metrics on any stock - anytime. Reveal Full ScoreEdge RankingsMomentum46.45Growth64.28Quality90.82Value52.28Price TrendShortMediumLongOverviewGOOGLAlphabet Inc$159.50-0.69%TMToyota Motor Corp$196.101.54%TSLATesla Inc$288.100.78%Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs