PLANO, Texas, Aug. 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Toyota and
Servco Pacific Inc. (Servco) have partnered to test a new
car-sharing technology in Honolulu,
Hawaii. The suite of software and services is an important
part of Toyota's Mobility Services Platform (MSPF) which will offer
various functions to enable a more convenient mobility experience.
When the employee-only pilot testing program concludes, Servco, the
distributor of Toyota vehicles in Hawaii, will use the car-sharing technology to
launch a new Honolulu-based car
share business by the end of 2017.
The car-sharing application will support driver identification
and authentication, plus payment and fleet management for
car-sharing businesses. It also includes a Smart Key Box (SKB),
which lets users lock and unlock vehicles via a smartphone. The
application was developed in-house and is managed by Toyota
Connected North America (TC), the global technology strategy
business unit for Toyota.
"This new application demonstrates the power of combining
Toyota's unrivaled global manufacturing and technology capacity
with dealers' extensive local operations to provide consumers with
more convenient options to move," said Shigeki Tomoyama, President
of Connected Company, Toyota Motor Corporation.
"This successful launch of the MSPF represents the next
generation in car-sharing platforms and is Toyota's global
foundation for fleet management, car-sharing, and the future
of mobility," said Zack Hicks, CEO
of Toyota Connected North America. "Its powerful and flexible API
based platform allows us to quickly adapt to new market
opportunities and support deployment of locally-tailored mobility
services."
Since January 2017, Toyota has
been working with Getaround on the car-sharing pilot program in
San Francisco, Calif., verifying
convenience and usability of the SKB. Thanks to the pilot test with
Servco, Toyota continues to enhance the car-sharing application and
MSPF, which seeks to leverage the power of connected vehicle
systems to support new mobility businesses. Eventually, Toyota will
also begin working with other dealers and distributors to tailor
the core technology for their markets, aiming for safe and more
convenient, customer-centric mobility services.
Launched in 2016, TC was created to significantly expand
Toyota's capabilities in the fields of vehicle data science,
machine learning, and contextual data services development, and
provides a wide range of data and computer science services across
Toyota's global operations.
Media Contacts:
TMNA Corporate Communications
Ming-Jou Chen
469-292-3799
ming-jou.chen@toyota.com
Servco Communications
Casey Nishimura
808-564-2372
casey.nishimura@servco.com
About Toyota Connected North America
Based in Plano, Texas, Toyota
Connected North America (TC) was established in 2016 to drive
Toyota's global efforts for an intelligent mobile society. With big
data collected from vehicles and analyzed on a cloud platform, TC
humanizes the driving experience by freeing customers from the
tyranny of technology via seamless and contextual services,
elevating the customer experience while benefitting dealers,
distributors, and partners. Analyzing traffic patterns, driver
behavior and connecting drivers with infrastructure and other
information is only part of TC's work that will open new services
and products to keep the car as a beloved companion.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the
U.S. and North America for 60
years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation
mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands. During that time,
Toyota has created a tremendous value chain as our teams have
contributed to world-class design, engineering, and assembly of
more than 33 million cars and trucks in North America, where we operate 14
manufacturing plants (10 in the U.S.) and directly employ more than
46,000 people (more than 36,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North
American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold almost 2.7
million cars and trucks (2.45 million in the U.S.) in 2016 – and
about 85 percent of all Toyota vehicles sold over the past 15 years
are still on the road today.
Toyota partners with community, civic, academic, and
governmental organizations to address our society's most pressing
mobility challenges. We share company resources and extensive
know-how to support non-profits to help expand their ability to
assist more people move more places. For more information about
Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.
About Servco Pacific Inc.
Servco Pacific Inc. is Hawaii's
largest privately held company with over $1.4 billion in annual revenues. Founded in 1919,
it is the Toyota, Lexus, and Subaru distributor for Hawaii, and has Toyota, Lexus and Subaru
automotive dealerships spanning Hawaii and Australia. It also has specialty insurance
brokerage and benefits consulting offices in Hawaii and the Pacific Northwest, and home
appliance operations that distribute General Electric, Thermador,
Bosch, and Gaggenau products throughout Hawaii and other Pacific islands. In addition,
Servco has a private equity portfolio, which includes co-majority
ownership of Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. Servco is
one of the Top 30 largest automotive dealer groups based in the
U.S. and it has been recognized as one of the "Best Places to Work
in Hawaii" for 13 consecutive
years since that award's inception. For additional information,
visit www.servco.com.
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SOURCE Toyota Connected North America