Toyota and Uber announce strategic partnership
Japanese car giant Toyota and taxi booking service Uber have aligned their businesses under a ‘strategic partnership’ which will see Toyota invest an unspecified amount in the service and offer its vehicles to Uber drivers for lease.
Going forward both partners will also collaborate on ride-sharing trials in new as both firms work toward their longer term goal of equipping a fleet of vehicles with autonomous self-driving technology.
Both Uber and Toyota are investing heavily in this area with the Japanese giant recently establishing the Toyota Research Institute to spearhead the development of autonomous cars and robotic assistants.
While neither party has stated that they would pursue self-driving technologies together Toyota did confirm that it was open to developing a joint in-car app to support Uber drivers.
The tie-up is the latest (and biggest) to date between ride sharing firms and established auto makers following a partnership between Lyft and General Motors; Didi with Apple and Volkswagen pairing up with Gett.