Toyota Aims to Offer Self-Driving Cars by 2020

Jason Siu
by Jason Siu

Toyota is planning to offer self-driving cars to the public by 2020.

The Japanese automaker has been testing new automated driving technologies through a program called Highway Teammate with the aim of launching related products by 2020, just in time for the Tokyo Olympic Games. The test vehicle is a modified Lexus GS that features equipment enabling automated driving on highways from the on-ramp all the way through to the off-ramp by using on-board technology that evaluates traffic conditions to make decisions during highway driving. Its demonstration included merging onto or exiting highways, maintaining or changing lanes and safely keeping distances between vehicles.

SEE ALSO: Toyota Named Most Valuable Car Brand as Volkswagen Drops

According to Toyota, it has been researching and developing automated driving technologies since the 1990s and believes there are three types of intelligence that are crucial to the success of its test program: Driving Intelligence, Connected Intelligence and Interactive Intelligence. Driving Intelligence involves advanced recognition and predictive decision-making functions, while Connected Intelligence encompasses vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication. Lastly, Interactive Intelligence focuses on recognizing the driver’s status as well as transfer of control between driver and car.

Watch a couple of videos on Toyota’s Mobility Teammate Concept and its Highway Teammate test vehicle below.

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Jason Siu
Jason Siu

Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.

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