Japan’s three largest automakers are set to team up with electronics giants and the government in a bid to propel the nation into the front ranks of self-driving car technology, Japanese officials and local media outlets said yesterday.
“We will set up a so-called self-navigation business conference so that we can discuss what measures we need to take,” said an official from Japan’s Ministry of Land Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, adding that they have yet to set the agenda.
The Nikkei Business Daily said the Japanese government would invite Toyota, Nissan and Honda as well as Panasonic and Hitachi to the meeting, which is to look at jointly developing parts and technologies related to self-driving.
The project is to also involve the University of Tokyo and Nagoya University, with their research institutes handling data analysis, the report said.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is to include measures on the project in his growth strategy plan, expected to be announced in June, the report said.
As a first step, auto parts makers would standardize software for self-control navigation and for sensors that detect obstacles while driving so that they can cut development and production costs, it said.
Common technology for communication links are also to be targeted to guard against accidents caused by hacking the paper reported.
Currently, Japanese auto parts makers lag behind Bosch in sensors, with the German giant supplying western as well as Japanese automakers, the report said.
The public sector would help in developing infrastructure, so that traffic and accident information can be communicated from on-road systems, it said.
The private and public sectors might invest about ¥10 billion (US$84 million) to build test courses, a focal point in international competition, it added. The scheme is part of a government initiative to support domestic industries related to self-driving technology, as competition in the field intensifies globally.
Japan is concerned that if US and European rivals lead in developing the industry standards, that could put Japanese companies at a disadvantage, the report said.
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