Toyota to Join Public ITS Tests in Tokyo

Toyota to Join Public ITS Tests in Tokyo
— Vehicle-infrastructure Communications Aimed at Reducing Accidents —
Tokyo — TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION (TMC) announces it will demonstrate its vehicle-infrastructure cooperative systems on public roads in Tokyo from February 25 to 28 in a joint intelligent transport systems (ITS) verification effort sponsored by Japan's private-public ITS Promotion Council.

Vehicle-infrastructure cooperative systems are intended to reduce the number of traffic accidents by exchanging information between vehicles and roadside communications infrastructure, and among vehicles. As part of "ITS-Safety 2010"*1, which aims to achieve the practical application of such systems by the end of March 2011*2, TMC will use seven vehicles to demonstrate road-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-vehicle information-exchange technologies. Five units of the Lexus "LS460" will be used to demonstrate such technologies on roads in the Odaiba urban development area on the Tokyo waterfront and on the expressway servicing it, while one Lexus LS460 and a Toyota "Crown Hybrid" will demonstrate Radar Cruise Control with All-speed Tracking and Intelligent Parking Assist (with parking-space recognition) next to the area's National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation.

Lexus LS460 ITS demonstration vehicle
Lexus LS460 ITS demonstration vehicle

The systems to be demonstrated include those designed to prevent collisions during turns, to prevent the running of red lights, to warn of approaching emergency vehicles and to provide information on obstacles ahead.

Additionally, Megaweb—TMC's interactive vehicle display facility in Odaiba—is exhibiting, through March 30, TMC initiatives toward achieving practical application of vehicle-infrastructure cooperative systems.

Development of ITS vehicle-infrastructure cooperative systems, along with development and application of autonomous onboard safety devices, represents part of TMC's efforts to make driving safer. These efforts are based on TMC's "Integrated Safety Management Concept", which aims to provide optimal driving support through a combination of integrated onboard technologies and infrastructure-respondent systems.

*1 A project that uses public-private large-scale, on-road verification tests to present, as well as allow the public to experience, ITS technologies. The tests are aimed at verifying the effectiveness of ITS services and systems and quantitatively evaluate their level of contribution to reducing the number of traffic accidents; they are conducted on public roads. Tests in the Tokyo metropolitan area began in January 2009. Regional tests covering eight cities, prefectures and regions, began in April 2008. The aim of the project is to achieve practical application of vehicle-infrastructure cooperative systems—based on the New IT Reform Strategy formulated by the Japanese government's IT Strategic Headquarters in January 2006—by the end of March 2011.

*2 The end of the April-March fiscal year.