Entering the market with AI+ “guardrail” dual technology path Toyota (TM.US) plans to mass-produce passenger cars equipped with advanced driver assistance systems starting in 2028

The Zhitong Finance App learned that according to reports, Toyota Motor Corporation (TM.US) plans to introduce an advanced driver assistance system into passenger cars in 2028. The system is positioned as Level 2++ and aims to drastically reduce drivers' intervention requirements. The Japanese automaker plans to expand this technology to more models starting in 2030, and is simultaneously promoting Level 4 autonomous driving for commercial vehicles. The goal is to be implemented by the end of this decade.

Toyota expects its e-Palette pure electric model — which can be operated as a shuttle bus — to acquire Level 4 autonomous driving capability as early as FY2027, and plans to accelerate the deployment of autonomous commercial vehicles in mainland Japan starting in 2030.

Japan officially approved Level 4 autonomous driving on the road in 2023, and has set a goal of operating 10,000 autonomous buses, taxis, and other vehicles nationwide by 2030. Furthermore, Toyota is considering cooperating with Waymo, an autonomous driving subsidiary of Alphabet, to develop the Robotaxi business, but no specific launch date has yet been determined.

Looking at the technical architecture, Toyota plans to combine an AI-based end-to-end (end-to-end) autonomous driving system with a rules-based “guardrail” (Guardrail) mechanism. The latter is a safety intervention agency that intervenes when AI acts unexpectedly, and also has the important function of providing explanations to trace the cause when an accident occurs. The company believes that this plan is expected to reduce traffic accident injuries by about 60%.

Akihiro Sarada, head of the Toyota Software Development Center, said, “We will develop Level 4 autonomous driving from a technical perspective, but at the commercial level, we will provide it to the market in the form of Level 2++.”

Toyota is not the only Japanese car company that is speeding up the autonomous driving layout. Nissan plans to equip some mass-produced models in the Japanese market with advanced driver assistance systems within the 2027 fiscal year. Honda is also planning to install next-generation driver assistance systems on models such as the new “VEZEL” in 2028.