Toyota To Offer Rides in SEA Level-4 Automated Vehicles On Public Roads In Japan Next Summer

• Demonstration to illustrate Toyota’s “mobility as a service” concept
   
• Rides will be available from July to September in Tokyo’s busy Odaiba district
   

TORONTO, ON – October 24, 2019 - Toyota Research Institute (TRI) announced today that its Platform 4 (P4) automated driving test vehicle will be available for public demonstration rides next summer in Tokyo. Offered from July to September 2020, the P4 will demonstrate Toyota’s “Chauffeur” SAE Level-4 capabilities in a specific “mobility as a service” (MaaS) driving environment.

The P4 experience will take place in Tokyo’s Odaiba district, a busy and often congested waterfront subcenter. Odaiba’s complex environment of pedestrians, vehicle traffic, diverse road infrastructure and tall glass buildings provide a challenging setting in which to demonstrate the capabilities of Toyota’s automated driving technology. The public will be invited to register for the experience, and individuals will be selected to participate. In accordance with Japanese law, a Safety Driver will be present during the experience.

“By challenging ourselves to successfully operate autonomously in Odaiba, we have set a high bar that requires us to rapidly expand the capabilities of our technology in a short amount of time,” said TRI CEO Gill Pratt.  “To accomplish that, we are working closely with the Advanced R&D Division of Toyota Motor Corporation and Toyota Research Institute-Advanced Development (TRI-AD) based in Tokyo, who is responsible for bringing the P4’s automated driving software to the public.”

TRI has been testing the P4 in the United States at its Ottawa Lake, Mich. closed-course test facility.  There, TRI replicated Odaiba’s most challenging infrastructure characteristics and driving scenarios for which the P4 will have to navigate autonomously. Further testing of P4 software is being conducted on public roads in Odaiba and around TRI’s Ann Arbor, Mich. and Los Altos, Calif. research offices.

Introduced at CES® 2019, the P4 test vehicle is based on the fifth-generation Lexus LS sedan. It is being used in TRI’s research and development of both “Toyota Guardian™” active safety and “Chauffeur” automated driving applications.

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About Toyota Research Institute

Toyota Research Institute (TRI) is led by Dr. Gill Pratt. The company, established in 2015, aims to strengthen Toyota’s research structure and develop active vehicle safety and automated driving technologies, robotics, and other human amplification technology.  Our researchers are using artificial intelligence to benefit society and improve the human condition by creating a future where everyone has the freedom to move, engage, and explore. TRI is based in the United States, with offices in Los Altos, Calif., Cambridge, Mass., and Ann Arbor, Mich. For more information about TRI, please visit http://tri.global.

About Toyota Research Institute-Advanced Development, Inc.

Toyota Research Institute-Advanced Development, Inc. (TRI-AD) focusses on the advanced development of software for automated driving efforts. Its mission is to build the world's safest automated driving car, as well as strengthening coordination with the research results of Toyota Research Institute (TRI) and research and advanced development within the Toyota Group. Activities include developing automated driving software, leveraging data-handling capabilities and creating a straight line from research to commercialization. See more at www.tri-ad.global.

About Toyota Canada

Toyota Canada Inc. (TCI) is the exclusive Canadian distributor of Toyota and Lexus vehicles. Toyota has sold over eight million vehicles in Canada through a national network of 287 Toyota and Lexus dealerships. Toyota is dedicated to bringing safety, quality, dependability and reliability to the vehicles Canadians drive and the service they receive. TCI’s head office is located in Toronto, with regional offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Halifax, and parts distribution centres in Toronto and Vancouver. Toyota operates two manufacturing facilities in Canada. Having produced more than eight million vehicles, popular Canadian models built at these facilities include Toyota RAV4, Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, Lexus RX 350 and RX 450h hybrid. Recent investments at its facilities in Ontario will allow for increased production of the top-selling Toyota RAV4 and RAV4 Hybrid models.

Media Contacts

John Hanson
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Toyota Research Institute
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657.331.1291

Rick Bourgoise
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Toyota Research Institute
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313.405.5972

Toyota Research Institute-Advanced Development, Inc.
Public Relations
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