Toyota targets autonomous drive by 2020

TOYOTA Motor Corp. said it will deploy autonomous driving systems by 2020 even as it takes a big step with the launching of technology that allows vehicles to talk to each other, scan blind spots, warn of changing traffic lights and keep a safe distance from other cars.

The company is also test driving more advanced autonomous drive technologies in a modified Lexus GS that can merge on highways and even change lanes by itself.
The goal is to deploy those autonomous drive technologies by around 2020.
Japan’s biggest automaker unveiled the new systems at an Oct. 6 demonstration near the Tokyo waterfront. The vehicle communication system, called ITS Connect, goes on sale in Japan this year, first in a mid-cycle update of the Toyota Crown luxury sedan.

Toyota is introducing the technologies in a push to furnish its safety credentials as automakers seek to differentiate themselves from rivals.

Toyota has already introduced a set of pre-crash automatic braking systems. The Safety Sense C package fits small cars such as the Corolla and uses a laser sensor and camera to gauge obstacles and slow or stop the car before a potential collision. Safety Sense P, meanwhile, is for larger vehicles, such as the Land Cruiser, and adds pedestrian detection.

Toyota is among several automakers, including Nissan Motor Co. and General Motors, now setting a 2020 horizon for the deployment of more advanced self-driving technologies.
Initial demand is expected to be slow, however. Global sales of self-driving or driverless cars won’t exceed 2 million units a year until 2029, predicts IHS Automotive.

But Toyota’s next step is deploying vehicle-to-infrastructure and vehicle-to-vehicle communication systems in its cars. Collectively known as intelligent transportation systems, or ITS, these technologies are still in their infancy but are viewed as key components of autonomous cars. For example, they allow vehicles to talk to ITS sensors at intersections, which warn of pedestrians and vehicles hidden by blind spots.
And by having a car’s computer share information such as acceleration and deceleration data with other vehicles, these systems allow for more efficient car tracking and, potentially, convoys of cars traveling at the same speed.

Toyota said last month it will make an ITS safety package standard on three models in Japan by the end of this year. The first is the refreshed Crown, which went on sale Oct. 1.

Called ITS Connect, the system picks up information that can’t be gathered by onboard sensors, Toyota said. It helps with collision avoidance, traffic light and emergency vehicle alerts, and adaptive cruise control. It also aids in blind spot detection.