Toyota enters the autonomous vehicle battle

Waymo and Toyota Announce Strategic Partnership to Compete with Tesla in Autonomous Vehicle Development

Waymo, a recognized leader in autonomous driving, conducts approximately 250,000 paid autonomous trips per week in the few markets where it operates. Meanwhile, Tesla, though behind in this area, plans to deploy similar services in Austin starting in June, with an initial fleet of 10 to 20 vehicles.

However, Tesla maintains an advantage in a key segment: personal autonomous vehicles. Although its cars have not yet achieved full autonomy without supervision, Tesla relies on the same technology for its internal fleets and consumer models, with specific adjustments and remote assistance. This positioning could allow Tesla to become a leader in personal autonomous vehicles, provided it solves the challenges related to its current hardware.

In this context, Waymo and Toyota are exploring a collaboration on autonomous driving technologies. According to a preliminary agreement, the two companies aim to accelerate the development and deployment of these technologies, with support from Woven by Toyota, a subsidiary specializing in software innovation and mobility. The shared goal is to improve road safety and expand access to mobility.

A Blow to Tesla

More specifically, the partnership will focus on next-generation personal vehicles. Waymo and Toyota plan to combine their respective expertise to create a new autonomous vehicle platform integrating Waymo’s advanced technologies into Toyota models.

While Tesla has claimed for over a year to be negotiating the integration of its technology into vehicles of other manufacturers, no concrete progress has been announced. In contrast, Waymo has already entered into similar agreements with Hyundai, initially focused on internal autonomous fleets.

This partnership between the autonomous leader and the world’s largest automaker could disrupt the market. Waymo appears to be tackling Tesla’s challenge by targeting an affordable and consumer-adapted integration.

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