Commentary / Japan Jun 16, 2019
Demand in doubt for fully autonomous cars
by Takamitsu Sawa
Fully automous cars are coming, but how many people will be willing to pay for them?
Business / Tech Apr 23, 2019
Tesla says 'robotaxis' coming next year, touts self-driving microchip
Chief Executive Elon Musk said Tesla Inc. "robotaxis" with no human drivers will be available in some markets next year thanks to exponential improvements in technology. "Probably two years from now we'll make a car with no steering wheels or pedals," he predicted, while acknowledging ...
Commentary / World Feb 5, 2018
China could seize the lead in self-driving cars
by Adam Minter
Alibaba is building systems that will link vehicles to the roads they drive on.
Business / Tech Nov 21, 2017
Volvo looks to supply Uber with up to 24,000 self-driving cars
Uber plans to buy up to 24,000 self-driving cars from Volvo, marking the transition of the U.S. firm from an app used to summon a taxi to the owner and operator of a fleet of cars. The nonbinding framework deal could offer San Francisco-based Uber ...
Business / Tech Feb 17, 2017
The government plans to compile guidelines for self-driving cars in fiscal 2017 starting April 1 as it prepares to rework the existing legal framework ahead of the rollout of such vehicles, officials said Thursday. Japan is seeking to promote the spread of automated driving in ...
Business / Tech Dec 25, 2016
Denso, NEC to tie up on self-driving technology for automobiles
Major auto parts maker Denso Corp. will team up with NEC Corp. on developing self-driving automobile technology that makes use of artificial intelligence, sources at the two companies said. With NEC boasting expertise in developing artificial intelligence and software, Denso plans to use its information ...
National / Politics Sep 9, 2016
G-7 transport chiefs meeting in Nagano to weigh self-driving car regulations
Transport ministers from the Group of Seven countries are expected to agree at their meeting in central Japan to set up a working panel tasked with creating global safety regulations for commercializing and promoting self-driving cars, a draft declaration of their summit showed Thursday. The ...
National / Media | MEDIA MIX Nov 14, 2015
Abe and the media get ahead of themselves on driverless cars
by Philip Brasor
In a new TV commercial for Nissan, American actress Charlotte Kate Fox, who appeared in last year's NHK morning drama series, "Massan," is driving on city streets at night. She pushes a button on the dashboard and slowly takes her hands off the steering ...
Business / Tech | ADVANCES IN PROGRESS Nov 9, 2015
Taxi firm hopes to have driverless cabs on the road by 2020
by Kazuaki Nagata
By the time Tokyo hosts the Summer Olympics and Paralympics in 2020, self-driving cars may be a feature on Japan's roads as local automakers work to develop the technology in the next five years. Tokyo-based Robot Taxi Inc., though not an auto manufacturer, also hopes ...
Business / Tech Nov 2, 2015
In the rearview mirror: Car designer warns of Google game-changer
by Norihiko Shirouzu
The days of cheap and cheerful cars like the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla may be numbered as technology firms Google and Apple muscle into the auto industry and change the way people own and drive automobiles. That is the warning from Ken Okuyama, high-end ...
Business / Tech Oct 6, 2015
Toyota's driverless car is put through paces in Tokyo
by Craig Trudell and Yuki Hagiwara
Touch a button on the steering wheel and put your hands up — this Toyota will take it from here. That is the gist of the experience Toyota Motor Corp. offered to reporters Tuesday in Tokyo. Its "highway teammate" concept car, a modified Lexus GS ...
Commentary / World May 17, 2015
Why self-driving cars will always need oversight
by Leonid Bershidsky
Self-driving cars are incapable of making moral decisions so they will always need human oversight.