Toyota and NTT invest in a “zero traffic accidents” future

On 31 October 2024, Toyota confirmed that it is forming a joint initiative with Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT) to develop a new “Mobility AI Platform”. The venture will commence in 2025, progressing to implementation in 2028 and widespread adoption by 2030. In total, the two companies expect to invest JP¥500bn (US$3.3bn) across this period.

Japan has the fourth-lowest rate of road fatalities per 100,000 inhabitants in the world: 2.6, according to 2022 data from the International Transport Forum. For comparison, the US recorded 13.8 deaths per 100,000 in the same dataset. Nonetheless, Toyota and NTT want to create “a society with zero traffic accidents" and consider investment in connectivity and automation at a road infrastructural level the best way to achieve it.