U.S. company Nvidia Corp. has developed a new AI computer that will contribute to the practical realization of fully autonomous driving. Codenamed Pegasus, the computer supports completely self-driving Level 5 autonomous vehicles, and can make over 320 trillion calculations per second. Nvidia says the new computer demonstrates performance more than 10 times that of its...
R&D
Toyota Boshoku, Nittoku, Autoneum Establish JV for Noise and Vibration Analysis
Toyota Boshoku Corp. (TYO:3116), Nihon Tokushu Toryo Co. Ltd. (TYO:4619) – also known as Nittoku – and Swiss-based Autoneum Holding AG announced on Oct. 5 an agreement to establish a new joint venture. The JV will focus on the evaluation and analysis of automotive noise and vibration (NV), and will be set up during fiscal...
Continental Begins Autonomous Vehicle Test Runs
German-based Continental AG is accelerating its development of technology for autonomous driving systems. At the company’s facilities in Frankfurt, test runs of the CUbE driverless vehicle developed with proprietary technology began this past May. Continental hopes these tests will provide an understanding of the basic technical requirements for an unmanned driving system so it can...
Toyota White Paper Anticipates New Demand for Autonomous Driving – Part 2
Toyota Motor Corp. (TYO:7203) is currently engaged in the parallel development of two autonomous driving technologies: Chauffeur and Guardian. The former of these refers to complete vehicle autonomy, while the latter describes a set of advanced driver assistance and safety features. Toyota terms the philosophy behind the Japanese company’s development of autonomous driving technology the...
Toyota White Paper Anticipates New Demand for Autonomous Driving – Part 1
Toyota Research Institute Inc. (TRI), a U.S.-based subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corp. (TYO:7203), released a white paper on autonomous driving on Sept. 27. The document summarizes the company’s R&D stance on, and progress toward developing, autonomous driving technology. Although the white paper focuses on matters Toyota regularly addresses in public, ordered by their importance to...
Toyota, Mazda, Denso to Develop EV Technology Together
Toyota Motor Corp. (TYO:7203), Mazda Motor Corp. (TYO:7261) and Denso Corp. (TYO:6902) recently announced that they have signed an agreement that establishes a new company for the joint development of electric vehicle (EV)-related technology. With Toyota and Mazda agreeing to a capital tie-up in August of this year, the new company marks a continuation of...
MinebeaMitsumi’s Slovakia Plant to Include R&D Facilities
MinebeaMitsumi Inc. will bolster its European development structure by including R&D facilities at the company’s plant in Kosice, Slovakia, which is scheduled to start operations in 2018. The company plans to hire more than 100 employees, mainly electronics and software engineers, to work at the new plant by the end of 2019. In addition to...
Flying Car Startup to Establish Bases in Aichi and Tokyo
Flying car startup Cartivator Resource Management recently announced that it will establish two development bases – one in Aichi Prefecture and another in Tokyo. The Aichi base will be established at Sentan, a manufacturing and creation hub in the city of Toyota. Support will be provided by the city, which hopes for the base to...
TPR Looks to Solidify Production and Development With Expanded Investments
In a bid to bring costs down and efficiently develop competitive products, TPR Co. Ltd. (TYO:6463) is expanding investment into its domestic production and development bases. The capital investment amount for this initiative is projected to total 4.5 billion yen ($40.69 million). The Japanese engine components manufacturer plans to install evaluation facilities for powertrain parts...
Gestamp Automocion Establishes First R&D Center in Japan
Major Spanish automotive parts maker Gestamp Automocion SA has established its first Japanese R&D center in Chuo-ku Ward, Tokyo. Company chairman and CEO Francisco Jose Riberas said that by enhancing development in Japan, the company will soon double its current 7-percent ratio of global sales for parts developed for Japanese automakers. With operations scheduled to...
Joining Forces, Alps Electric and Tohoku University Enter R&D Partnership
Alps Electric Co. Ltd. (TYO:6770) recently announced that it has signed a comprehensive partnership agreement with Tohoku University for R&D and human resource development. Alps Electric is aiming to utilize the university’s basic research capability for the development of next-generation automotive products. Alps Electric has a working history with Tohoku University, with company departments having...
Daihatsu Completes R&D Center in Indonesia
PT Astra Daihatsu Motor (ADM), an Indonesian-based subsidiary of Daihatsu Motor Co. Ltd., held a ceremony on April 10 to commemorate the completion of its R&D center. The day served also as celebration of the local subsidiary’s having reached 5 million vehicles in cumulative production. The R&D center is located within the premises of the...
Toyota and NTT Join Forces for Connected Car R&D
Toyota Motor Corp. (TYO:7203) and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. (NTT; TYO:9432) announced on March 27 an R&D tie-up for connected car information and communications technology (ICT). The two companies will pursue technological development, verification and standardization in the area of connected cars by combining Toyota’s automotive technology and NTT Group’s ICT know-how. Operation tests...
Honda to Launch New AI and Robotics R&D Lab
Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (TYO:7267) announced on Feb. 28 that subsidiary Honda R&D Co. Ltd. will be establishing a new lab, R&D Center X, to take on challenges in high-tech fields such as robotics, mobility systems and energy management. The company intends to create new value by combining its strengths in two-wheel, four-wheel and general-purpose products...
Toyo Tires to Strengthen US R&D Capabilities
Toyo Tire & Rubber Co. Ltd. (TYO:5105) announced on Jan. 11 that it will increase the number of staff in the R&D department at its U.S. tire factory in Georgia and add product development capabilities by year’s end. Looking to quickly meet the needs of the U.S. market, the company plans to boost the number...
