丰田宣布2028年推出近全自动驾驶乘用车（L2++），2030年商用车实现L4，并考虑与Waymo合作进入Robotaxi业务

NAGOYA, Japan -- Toyota Motor will introduce self-driving technology in passenger vehicles in 2028, the automaker said Thursday, with plans to develop its own Level 2++ system requiring minimal driver input.
Toyota aims to expand the technology to more models and promote wider adoption from 2030.
In Japan, current autonomous driving systems are generally limited to Level 2, which still requires drivers to take over in certain situations. Toyota is seeking to commercialize more advanced capabilities.
For commercial vehicles, Toyota is targeting Level 4 technology by 2030, enabling fully autonomous driving under specific conditions. The company plans to accelerate nationwide deployment from 2030.
It also confirmed that it is on track to equip its e-Palette electric vehicle, which debuted in 2025 and can be used as a shuttle bus, with Level 4 driving as early as fiscal 2027.
Japan legalized Level 4 autonomous driving in 2023. The government has set a goal of increasing Level 4 self-driving buses, taxis and other vehicles to 10,000 nationwide by fiscal 2030. Toyota said it is considering entering the robotaxi business with partner Waymo, the autonomous driving unit of Google parent Alphabet. The Japanese automaker did not disclose a timeline.
Toyota does not plan to use only the end-to-end approach employed by companies such as Tesla, in which artificial intelligence handles everything from environmental recognition to driving decisions and vehicle operation.
It will also employ a "guardrail" system, which monitors and blocks unexpected AI behavior under predefined human-designated rules. The company believes this approach can improve safety and prevent roughly 60% of current traffic fatalities and injuries.
Competition in self-driving technology is heating up across the industry. Honda Motor in 2021 became the first automaker worldwide to launch a Level 3 vehicle that can drive autonomously in limited conditions, and the company continues to enhance the capabilities of its models on the market. Nissan Motor announced in April that it would install AI-powered autonomous driving technology in 90% of its models.
"We'll develop Level 4 technology from a technical standpoint, but offer it commercially as Level 2++," said Akihiro Sarada, head of Toyota's Software Development Center. "We'll proceed in a way that ensures both safety and explainability based on the technology."
While U.S. and Chinese automakers currently lead in self-driving vehicle development, Japanese players are working to catch up.
The Japanese government has set a target of winning a 30% global market share in autonomous vehicle sales in the 2030s. Anticipating broader adoption, Japan's transport ministry aims to establish a certification system for Level 2++ vehicles this year.