Toyota's Mobility Strategy: Introducing DCM as standard equipment
Initiatives to include collaborating on ride and car sharing, taxis
2018/08/24
- Summary
- The first generation of connected cars: New Crown and New Corolla Sport released
- Toyota to support the mobility of athletes at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games with the Concept-i and e-Palette
- Toyota's Connected strategy
- Cooperation with ride-share operators
- Collaboration with car sharing and rental car operators
- Strengthening collaboration with Japanese taxi operators
Summary
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| The foundation of Toyota’s mobility strategy: Mobility Service Platform (MSPF) (All figures in this report are provided from Toyota) |
This report covers Toyota's mobility and connected car strategy.
In May 2018 Toyota’s president Akio Toyoda announced during his presentation of Toyota’s fiscal year 2017 financial results that he has “decided to redesign Toyota from a car-making company into a mobility company that provides services related to the movement of people around the world".
In June 2018, Toyota launched the all-new Crown and new Corolla Sport (hatchback), which are equipped with an on-board communication device (DCM: Data Communication Module) as standard equipment. In the future, Toyota plans to install DCM in almost all of its passenger cars to be released in the U.S. and Japan.
In preparation for the true Connected Car era, Toyota changed its organization, establishing the Connected Company in April 2016. The following three items are part of its strategy.
1）Connect all vehicles and build a Connected Platform
2）Promote the use of big data, contribute to customers and society, while promoting revolution in Toyota's business
3）Cooperate with various different industries and IT companies to produce new mobility services
Toyota will establish a mobility service platform (MSPF) on top of the existing Toyota Smart Center with the various functions necessary for mobility services. By means of its MSPF information infrastructure, Toyota will become a mobility services and platform provider in collaboration with companies and service operators such as ride share companies, car share companies, taxi companies, and insurance companies.
Toyota already has partnership with Uber and Grab for ride sharing, and Getaround and Avis for car sharing and rental cars. In July 2018 Toyota’s Servco dealership in Hawaii started the car sharing service "Hui". Going forward, Toyota plans to expand its car sharing business as a new revenue source for its dealerships. For taxis, Toyota is developing and conducting road tests for “lane-specific traffic congestion information” and a "dispatch support system for taxis".
Toyota will provide more than 3,000 vehicles to support the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Toyota will introduce a new type of moving experience through demonstrations of its Concept-i, a car that recognizes drivers' emotions and preferences and can make conversation using an artificial intelligence (AI) agent function. Toyota will also support transportation services for athletes and affiliated guests around the Athlete's Village with e-Palette, a next generation battery electric vehicle specially designed for Mobility as a Service (MaaS).
Related Reports：
Overview of ride-hailing services in the U.S. (Aug. 2018)
Nissan: Connected strategy in the age of autonomous cars (Jan. 2018)
Autonomous driving verification testing progress in Japan (Jan. 2018)
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