DiDi, Toyota to set up JV for smart fleet management

Chinese mobile transportation platform Didi Chuxing has teamed up with Japanese carmaker Toyota to expand their partnership in smart transportation.

Toyota will invest 600 million U.S. dollars in DiDi and a joint venture which the two companies will establish with GAC Toyota Motor Co. Ltd. to provide vehicle-related services for ride-hailing drivers on DiDi's network, DiDi announced Thursday.

The two parties announced collaboration on the e-Palette, a self-driving modular store in January 2018, and have piloted vehicle-related services for DiDi ride-hailing drivers.

"We look forward to combining DiDi's expertise in AI-based large-scale mobility operations and Toyota's leading connected vehicle technology to build a next-generation intelligent transportation framework for sustainable cities," said DiDi's Senior Vice President Stephen Zhu.

DiDi initiated a cross-sector alliance last year with top carmakers and industry players at home and abroad to create an open platform for future automobile solutions.