TOKYO – Nissan Motor Co., U.S. ride-hailing company Uber Technologies Inc. and British startup Wayve Technologies Ltd. said Thursday they will cooperate on a robotaxi project, aiming to launch trial operations in Tokyo in the latter half of this year.
The collaboration aims to integrate Wayve’s autonomous driving system employing artificial intelligence into Nissan’s Leaf electric vehicles, allowing riders to book their rides through Uber’s platform.
It is believed that the three-way partnership is an apparent move by the struggling Japanese automaker to improve its business conditions by increasing sales of autonomous vehicles.
The project is part of an announced plan between Wayve and Uber to expand robotaxi across more than 10 cities worldwide. Uber is already offering autonomous ride services in the United States.
In addition to the robotaxi project, Nissan plans to install next-generation driver-assistance technology, which it is developing with Wayve, in its vehicles for sale starting in fiscal 2027.
Nissan is expecting a net loss of 650 billion yen ($4 billion) for this business year through March due to restructuring costs.
AloJapan.com