Toyota is testing a Smart Key Box that makes it easier to share your car with strangers
automotive/"_blank">automotive.com/category/cars/"_blank">Toyota is the latest car manufacturer looking into the sharing economy, thanks to its development of what it calls a "mobility services platform." The first product it's experimenting with is a Smart Key Box, which promises to transform vehicles so they can be shared with anyone using a mobile device.To test its theory and see if its Smart Key Box can gain any traction, Toyota has teamed up with Getaround, in a deal revealed last week, to form a strategic investment through its Mirai Creation Investment Limited Partnership.Beginning January 2017 in San Francisco, Getaround will leverage the car maker's technology in its vehicles, starting with select Lexus or Prius models, so drivers do not need to use physical car keys.
Toyota to roll out app that allows people to start up a car with their smartphone
automotive/"_blank">automotive.com/category/cars/"_blank">Toyota to roll out app that allows people to start up a car with their smartphoneThe app would only allow users that have previously signed up for the shared-use car to operate itJapanese car maker has developed an called that lets people use smartphones to access and start up a car.The would only allow users that have previously signed up for the shared-use car to operate it, providing a more secure way of lending and renting cars, said in a statement on Monday.For the pilot programme that will begin in San Francisco in January has invested in Getaround in October -- a peer-to-peer sharing service that allows private car owners to rent out their vehicles when they are not using them.
Toyota launches app-based Smart Key Box for car sharing
DETROIT -- automotive/"_blank">automotive.com/category/cars/"_blank">Toyota Motor Co. said Monday it has developed a Smart Key Box, which can be placed in a vehicle to allow users to lock and unlock doors, start the engine and perform other features with their smart phones.The new feature will be used by Toyota to test mobile app-based car sharing, similar to General Motors' Maven service, which launched in Ann Arbor at the beginning of this year and has since expanded to about 10 cities.Toyota is partnering with car-sharing firm Getaround to launch a pilot program in San Francisco, beginning in January.