Two Automotive Leaders May Join Forces to Introduce AVs for Consumers

The worlds biggest car maker is reportedly talking to the world's leading company in autonomous vehicle technology about making self-driving cars available for consumers to purchase.

Toyota, which sells more cars worldwide than any other company, is apparently in talks with Waymo, the artist formerly known as Google's self-driving vehicle company.

The Japanese car maker has been conspicuously quiet about its AV plans, even as it has introduced ADAS systems into its mass-market vehicles. Meanwhile, Waymo has been conspicuously expansive about its plans. It it is already running robo taxi services in Austin, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and San Francisco. Waymo's development model also seems predicated on the idea of selling its proven systems to OEMs. Now, it may have hooked the biggest one of them all.

According to AP, which broke the story, the two companies are discussing a partnership. Toyota is usually extremely conservative about introducing new technologies, but if the reported partnership comes to fruition, it could prove to be the business deal that revolutionizes the automotive industry.

For more on Toyota, see Going Autonomous.