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.