There’s a reason why companies like Uber are working on self-driving car technology. You wouldn’t expect the ride-hailing service to actually build and sell a car of its own. The company is working on this technology in the hopes of selling it to conventional car manufacturers. This is why it’s not surprising to hear a new report claim that Uber is in talks with Japanese auto giant Toyota to supply it with its autonomous driving technology.
Japanese trade publication Nikkei reports that Uber is in talks with Toyota to sell its self-driving technology. It’s negotiating the possibility of installing its autonomous driving system in a Toyota minivan. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi is said to have met with senior Toyota executives earlier this week.
It’s not like Toyota doesn’t have its own self-driving ambitions. It’s actually pouring billions of dollars in a new self-driving car company to advance this side of the business. However, the company also has plans to use technologies from other companies such as Uber to further develop cars for mobility services.
Toyota hasn’t confirmed or denied this report as yet. It’s really not that difficult to see the two companies work together on this given the close relationship that Toyota has had with Uber. It invested in the ride-hailing company back in 2016 and then inked a partnership this January to develop a driverless vehicle platform.
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