1Anonymous2018/10/05(Fri) 03:21:06.21
https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2018/10/171c38917ed9-update2-toyota-softbank-to-tie-up-in-driverless-cars-ride-sharing.html
Toyota Motor Corp. and SoftBank Corp. said Thursday they have tied up to develop services using self-driving vehicles and other advanced automotive technologies, the latest example of a carmaker joining hands with an IT firm in the fast-evolving auto industry.
In the first alliance between Japan's auto and technology giants, they will set up a joint venture by next March that will aim to offer services such as meal deliveries and hospital shuttles using autonomous vehicles.
SoftBank will own a 50.25 percent stake and Toyota a 49.75 percent stake in the venture named Monet Technologies Corp., which will be capitalized initially at 2 billion yen ($17.5 million), increasing to 10 billion yen in the future, they said.
As a first step, the entity, to be led by SoftBank Chief Technology Officer Junichi Miyakawa, will launch a ride-hailing service in the next fiscal year starting April for local municipalities and firms in Japan. Its services will be expanded overseas in the future.
"The tie-up between Toyota, the world's leading mobility company, and SoftBank, which is focused on artificial intelligence that will redefine all industries including autos, will lead to unprecedented mobility in a new era," SoftBank Group Chief Executive Officer Masayoshi Son said at a joint news conference with Toyota President Akio Toyoda in Tokyo.
"Monet is only the first stage. I am hoping that the collaboration will further expand and deepen into the second, third stages," Son said.
Toyota Motor Corp. and SoftBank Corp. said Thursday they have tied up to develop services using self-driving vehicles and other advanced automotive technologies, the latest example of a carmaker joining hands with an IT firm in the fast-evolving auto industry.
In the first alliance between Japan's auto and technology giants, they will set up a joint venture by next March that will aim to offer services such as meal deliveries and hospital shuttles using autonomous vehicles.
SoftBank will own a 50.25 percent stake and Toyota a 49.75 percent stake in the venture named Monet Technologies Corp., which will be capitalized initially at 2 billion yen ($17.5 million), increasing to 10 billion yen in the future, they said.
As a first step, the entity, to be led by SoftBank Chief Technology Officer Junichi Miyakawa, will launch a ride-hailing service in the next fiscal year starting April for local municipalities and firms in Japan. Its services will be expanded overseas in the future.
"The tie-up between Toyota, the world's leading mobility company, and SoftBank, which is focused on artificial intelligence that will redefine all industries including autos, will lead to unprecedented mobility in a new era," SoftBank Group Chief Executive Officer Masayoshi Son said at a joint news conference with Toyota President Akio Toyoda in Tokyo.
"Monet is only the first stage. I am hoping that the collaboration will further expand and deepen into the second, third stages," Son said.