Toyota and Waymo Outline Strategic Partnership to Advance Autonomous Driving Deployment

Tokyo, JAPAN―Toyota Motor Corporation ("Toyota") and Waymo reached a preliminary agreement to explore a collaboration focused on accelerating the development and deployment of autonomous driving technologies. Woven by Toyota will also join the potential collaboration as Toyota's strategic enabler, contributing its strengths in advanced software and mobility innovation. This potential partnership is built on a shared vision of improving road safety and delivering increased mobility for all.

Toyota and Waymo aim to combine their respective strengths to develop a new autonomous vehicle platform. In parallel, the companies will explore how to leverage Waymo's autonomous technology and Toyota's vehicle expertise to enhance next-generation personally owned vehicles (POVs). The scope of the collaboration will continue to evolve through ongoing discussions.

Toyota has long advanced research and development in support of a zero-traffic-accident vision, guided by a three-pillar approach that integrates people, vehicles, and traffic infrastructure. Automated driving and advanced safety technologies play a central role, exemplified by the development and global deployment of Toyota Safety Sense (TSS)―a proprietary suite of advanced safety technologies. TSS reflects Toyota's belief that technologies have the greatest impact when they are made widely accessible. Through this new collaboration, the companies aim to further accelerate the development and adoption of driver assistance and automated driving technologies for POVs, with a continued focus on safety and peace of mind.

Waymo, the global leader in autonomous driving technology, now serves more than a quarter of a million trips each week across the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Austin. With tens of millions of miles traveled, the data shows that Waymo is making roads safer where it operates, including being involved in 81% fewer injury-causing crashes compared to a human benchmark. Waymo is building a generalizable driver that can be applied to a variety of vehicle platforms and businesses over time. The company continues to scale its commercial ride-hailing service, Waymo One, and through this strategic partnership will now begin to incorporate aspects of its technology for personally owned vehicles.

Hiroki Nakajima, Member of the Board and Executive Vice President of Toyota Motor Corporation, emphasized the significance of this collaboration, stating, "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, and we are confident this collaboration can help bring our solutions to more people around the world, moving us one step closer to a zero-accident society. Our companies are taking an important step toward a future with greater safety and peace of mind for all."

Tekedra Mawakana, co-CEO at Waymo, also emphasized the impact of this collaboration, stating: "Waymo's mission is to be the world's most trusted driver. This requires global partners like Toyota that share our commitment to improving road safety and expanding accessible transportation. We look forward to exploring this strategic partnership, incorporating their vehicles into our ride-hailing fleet and bringing the magic of Waymo's autonomous driving technology to Toyota customers."

About Toyota Motor Corporation

Toyota Motor Corporation works to develop and manufacture innovative, safe and high-quality products and services that create happiness by providing mobility for all. We believe that true achievement comes from supporting our customers, partners, employees, and the communities in which we operate. Since our founding over 80 years ago in 1937, we have applied our Guiding Principles in pursuit of a safer, greener and more inclusive society. Today, as we transform into a mobility company developing technologies of electrification, intelligence and diversification, we also remain true to our Guiding Principles and many of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals to help realize an ever-better world, where everyone is free to move. https://global.toyota/en/

About Waymo

Waymo is an autonomous driving technology company with the mission to be the most trusted driver. Since our start as the Google Self-Driving Car Project in 2009, Waymo has focused on building the Waymo Driver―The World's Most Experienced Driver^TM―to improve everyone's access to mobility while saving thousands of lives now lost to traffic crashes. Waymo One, our fully autonomous ride-hailing service, serves hundreds of thousands of trips each week to riders in San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and Austin. The Waymo Driver has autonomously driven tens of millions of miles on public roads and tens of billions in simulation across 15+ U.S. states.
For more: www.waymo.com.