Toyota unveils fully autonomous concept commercial vehicle

January 9, 2018

Las Vegas- Toyota Motor Corp. on Monday unveiled a fully autonomous concept commercial vehicle ahead of the start of the Consumer Electronics Show on Tuesday in Las Vegas.

The e-Palette Concept Vehicle is a low-floor, box-type electric vehicle measuring 2.3 meters high. It will be available in three lengths from 4 to 7 meters.

Toyota assumes the vehicle will be mainly used for the delivery of online-ordered products, ride-hailing services and mobile stores.

The leading Japanese automaker plans to launch related demonstration tests in the United States in the early 2020s, teaming up with five companies, including U.S. e-commerce giant Amazan.com Inc.

Toyota hopes to provide vehicles utilizing some cutting-edge technologies for transportation in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.

"The goal is to transform ourselves into a company offering mobility," Toyota President Akio Toyoda told a press conference, expressing his view that participation in services involving vehicles would be the key for Toyota's future growth.

Meanwhile, Panasonic Corp. said it has agreed with Amazon.com to work together to offer in-vehicle infotainment systems equipped with the US company's artificial intelligence-based smart speaker products that support voice interaction.

Electronics makers are shifting their focus to services using cutting-edge technologies.

Sony Corp. unveiled new products, including an organic light-emitting diode television sets. The company indicated its plan to launch a headphone supporting Google Inc.'s smart speakers.

There is still room for improvement in home appliances, Sony President Kazuo Hirai said. Jiji Press