Toyota Motor says it has reached a preliminary agreement with US firm Waymo to collaborate in the development and deployment of self-driving technologies. Waymo is a subsidiary of Google parent Alphabet.



Japan's biggest automaker aims to improve the autonomous technology of its commercial vehicles through the tie-up.



Waymo plans to employ Toyota cars in its self-driving taxi service. It has already started such services in some areas in the US, including San Francisco.



It also began gathering information on road environments and map data in Tokyo this month, in cooperation with a Japanese taxi operator.



Toyota is aiming to speed up the development and popularization of self-driving technologies.



It has been working together with US semiconductor giant Nvidia and Japan's leading telecom firm NTT.



Global competition is revving up in the field. Tesla plans to start a self-driving taxi service as early as June.



And Japan's Nissan Motor hopes to get a mobility service on the road in fiscal 2027.