Toyota
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Toyota pushes into blockchain tech to enable the next generation of cars
On the same day that Ford officially ousted its chief executive in a bid to remake itself as future-focused vehicle manufacturer, Toyota announced its own steps to embrace technology’s next wave. Andwhile Ford is looking to catch up to the leaders in autonomous and electric vehicle manufacturing, Toyota (through the Toyota Research Institute) appears to be taking the next fork in the… Read More
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Getaround raises $45M from Toyota and others to build more partnerships
Car sharing service Getaround has raised $45 million in Series C funding, led by a new investor Braemar Energy Ventures, and with participation from Toyota Motor Corp and China’s SAIC Motor. The round also includes existing investors Menlo Ventures and Triangle Peak Partners, and is all about helping Getaround continue its new strategy of partnering with big transportation players… Read More
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Toyota Mirai’s fuel cell system scales up for semi trucks
The Toyota Mirai fuel-cell electric vehicle is so far a niche vehicle, but that hasn’t stopped Toyota from dreaming big — really big. Project Portal is a proof of concept semi truck that runs on a scaled-up version of the Mirai’s powertrain. The Mirai is an four-door car, though, with a maximum weight of two tons. The proof of concept vehicle needs to haul 80,000 pounds… Read More
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Toyota’s FT-4X concept is your ‘millennial casualcore’ dream SUV
Yes, Toyota used both “millennial” and “casualcore” to dreadful effect in the press release for the new FT-4X crossover SUV concept it revealed during the New York International Auto Show. But I still want this adorable car box to become a real thing, because it reminds me of both the Honda Element and the Toyota FJ Cruiser, vehicles I love so well. The FT-4X… Read More
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Toyota’s new robot leg brace can help those with partial paralysis walk again
Toyota is introducing a new robotic leg brace called the Welwalk WW-1000 that can help patients with partial paralysis affecting one side of their body walk again. The robotic exoframe is worn on the affected leg, with a large motor component at the knee joint that provides just enough assistance to the patient, letting them recover their own walking ability therapeutically over time. The… Read More
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Toyota Research Institute puts $35M into AI-powered materials research
Toyota’s dedicated research organization, Toyota Research Institute (TRI), is investing $35 million into collaborative research efforts with a number of university and corporate partners focused on materials science. TRI believes progress in artificial intelligence can help further efforts in this key area of basic research, specifically around three key areas, including fuel cell… Read More
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Toyota and NTT to collaborate on connected car tech, including AI
Toyota and NTT, one of Japan’s largest carriers, are teaming up to work on connected vehicle technology, with an agreement to work together on research and development in this emerging area. The team-up makes a lot of sense, since both carriers and automakers are looking to maximize the amount of data they can get from their customers as vehicles become increasingly connected. The… Read More
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Toyota’s new autonomous test car 2.0 is a tricked out Lexus
Toyota’s Research Institute (TRI) houses some of the automakers most ambitious future-focused projects, and the R&D organization debuted its new second-generation autonomous safety technology research vehicle on Friday. The car debuted at Toyota’s Prius Challenge event in Sonoma, California, which is a Silicon Valley forum designed to bring entrepreneurs, roboticists and… Read More
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GM, Toyota set to push U.S. regulators on easing self-driving restrictions
Practical use of self-driving cars requires changes to existing regulatory frameworks – or at least that’s what GM and Toyota are prepared to tell U.S. lawmakers on Tuesday, at a panel convened to review the state of self-driving regulation and proposed guidance on their use and testing set out last year by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). GM and Toyota… Read More
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Here’s what it’s like to drive with Toyota’s Yui AI in-car assistant
Toyota revealed a new concept vehicle with a virtual companion named Yui built-in at CES this year. The Concept-i goes beyond the average concept car, with an in-car experience that gives the driver an AI partner that acts as part copilot, part travel guide and part spa attendant, all the while getting to know you better over time. I took a ride with Yui via Toyota’s CES show floor… Read More
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Toyota’s Research Institute head says full autonomous driving is “not even close”
While the rest of the world is fixated on a future of full autonomous driving, Toyota Research Institute CEO Gill Pratt is urging everyone that it’s more complicated than that and to take things slowly. Pratt said that “we’re nowhere near close” a level of full autonomous driving, labeled as “Level 5” by the SAE. Pratt, over and over, couched that the… Read More
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Toyota’s Concept-i is a vehicle designed to learn about its driver
Toyota revealed the Concept-i at CES on Wednesday, a new concept vehicle that the company built with its Newport Beach CALTY design research group, with tech supplied by the carmaker’s SF-based innovation hub. I spoke to CALTY Project Design Manager William Chergosky about the process of creating Concept-i, which he said was about finding a way to bring the excitement people feel… Read More
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Ford and Toyota launch consortium to help developers build in-car apps
Drivers expect their cars and smartphones to seamlessly work together. Both Apple and Google offer their respective services for connecting phones to a car’s infotainment system, but the car industry isn’t ready to completely cede the center console to Silicon Valley. Ford and Toyota have long been unlikely allies in this area. A few years ago, with AppLink, Ford started giving… Read More
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The 2017 Mazda3 in the middle
The 2017 Mazda3 provides more evidence of advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS) technology trickling down to more affordable cars. Between the luxury of the 2017 Volvo S90 and the Spartan appeal of the 2017 Toyota Yaris lies the Mazda3 in the middle ground. In order to get all of the ADAS goodness, you have to begin with the Grand Touring trim level, which starts at $24,195. Then you… Read More
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The 2017 Toyota Yaris points to the future of cars
When presented with a list of cars to test drive, the 2017 Toyota Yaris might not jump out at most people as the top choice. It’s not fancy, and it’s not a status symbol, but it’s got all the safety tech a person could want — and a touch screen — for $16,815. The test Yaris had not one single extra. The optional equipment column was a big blank space. The… Read More
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Toyota official highlights issues with NHTSA guidelines and California self-driving rules
At a forum on Capital Hill designed to gather input from industry stakeholders on NHTSA guidelines, Toyota Motor North America director of technology and innovation policy Hilary Cain pointed out that proposed changes to California’s self-driving test guidelines would make a voluntary process requested by the new NHTSA autonomous driving guidelines essentially mandatory. This could… Read More
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A $400 robot baby you can stick in a backpack
Time was an egg or a sack of flour could be used as a perfectly serviceable substitute for a child (or so decades of sitcoms have taught me). Much of the press coverage around the Kirobo Mini positions the four-inch robot as an adorable attempt to address a population with a declining birth rate – with accompanying images and video “tug[ging] at maternal… Read More
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Toyota’s Prius Prime is engineered to give hybrid owners more EV feels
Toyota’s Prius Prime is an updated take on the company’s popular hybrid, with more emphasis on the EV aspects of the vehicle, including a battery with double the driving capacity, and a few other tweaks that push the car closer toward the EV end of its dual identity, including an acceleration feature that lets the electric motor handle much of the pick-up when you first put your… Read More
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Toyota’s VR drive through a Syd Mead-created world is a near-future trip
How do you convince a potential car buyer your vehicle is a future-focused choice? One way is to get one of the most iconic creators of cinematic futurescapes to help you build a virtual world that people can drive the car through themselves. Toyota enlisted Syd Mead, the creative visionary behind Blade Runner and Tron‘s vehicles, architecture and more. Mead provided concept art and… Read More
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AAA study sheds light on AEB systems
Automatic emergency braking systems, or AEB, will be installed in 99% of all new passenger vehicles by 2022. Toyota has promised to have it on all of its vehicles by 2017, and many vehicles already have the sensors and technology in place. But that doesn’t mean every system on every vehicle works exactly the same way. That’s why AAA put five 2016 vehicles to the AEB test in 70 trials. Read More
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